


Takes the Cake

by Arionrhod, McKay



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-05 07:53:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 46,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11009145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arionrhod/pseuds/Arionrhod, https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKay/pseuds/McKay
Summary: A special competition on the highly successful cable show "Takes the Cake" pits two-time winner Severus Snape against equally successful Remus Lupin.  As things heat up in the kitchen, will Remus be able to convince Severus that they share more than just a passion for baking?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2009.

"I want to have all the pans organized by size and shape and sort the fondant sugars by grade before we get started. Oh, and I brought all of your best personal colorants; it wouldn't do to have the colors be bland because they provide inferior dyes!"

Hermione's voice conveyed her disdain of sub-standard ingredients, and Remus turned his head to look at her, his lips twitching in amusement at the sight of the open laptop she focused on so intensely. He'd been looking at the buildings their taxi was speeding past, letting his mind relax in preparation for the rather arduous tasks he knew awaited them, but it was obvious that his young assistant felt that every possible second had to be put to maximum use.

"I don't know how much time they'll give us for organization or if we'll be tossed into the fray at once," he replied, chuckling as she gave him a look of wide-eyed horror. "One thing I've learned in these competitions is that there isn't really a way to prepare for them fully, so you just roll with the punches and trust that artistry and ability will get you through."

It was obvious that Hermione wasn't best pleased with the thought of trusting anything other than her careful plans and preparations, but before she could express her indignation, they were pulling up to the guard gate of the studio and being asked for their names. 

Remus had been through all of it before, of course, and he explained things to Hermione as the arrived at the building where they would be meeting with the organizers of the competition as well as their fellow competitors. The Epicurean Channel prided itself on finding only the very best to compete on the popular show _Takes the Cake_ , and Remus knew that this particular challenge, a multi-day bake-off between people who had previous wins on the show, was going to be tougher than the three previous times he'd been invited to show off his own special skills.

One of the network people was waiting for them, a personable young blonde woman who introduced herself as Hannah. "I'll be acting as your liaison during the competition," she explained as she led them down an elegantly appointed hallway toward a conference room. "I know you didn't have a go-between before, Mr. Lupin, but the producers thought with the complex nature of the competition this time around, it would be best to assign each chef someone to look after any needs or concerns. I'll be on hand during all phases of the production, so just come to me, and I'll make sure that the right people are put in the know to help keep things running smoothly."

"That sounds like a good idea," Hermione said, nodding her head in approval. Remus had seen her giving Hannah a frank appraisal, but given that Hannah seemed as down-to-earth and no nonsense as Hermione herself, he didn't anticipate any problems.

"Indeed it does," he said, admiring the large photographs of cakes which decorated the corridor. They were all winning confections from past shows, and he couldn't help a small feeling of pride at the sight of his own two winning creations. He always did his best to create cakes which tasted as good as they looked, and he rather thought that his own specialty, which was fondant, made his compare quite favorably to the other winners.

Hannah ushered them into the conference room, and Remus wasn't surprised to see that some of the other chefs were already there. He recognized two of them from his own previous appearances on the show: Harry Potter, a young, up-and-coming pastry chef who had a flare for the "extreme" elements that were a large part of the judging, and Sybil Trelawney, an odd woman whose cakes always seemed almost too ethereal to be believed. Remus greeted them in a friendly fashion, then moved to the seats Hannah pointed out, settling down and waiting for the arrival of the rest of the competitors, while Hermione pulled out her ever-present laptop and began to type yet more notes.

When Severus entered the conference room in the wake of his network liaison, Pansy, he swept his gaze around the room, curious to see whom he'd be competing against since the network had kept the participants list hush-hush. He'd only competed against one of them - Potter, whom he considered an arrogant little snot - but he knew the other two by reputation. It took considerable will power not to roll his eyes at the sight of Trelawney, whose works were praised as being "avante-garde", but which he called "artsy-fartsy". He'd take great satisfaction in seeing _her_ eliminated, especially since he could scarcely believe she'd scraped a win to qualify her to be here in the first place.

He was better pleased by the sight of the third competitor; he'd never competed against Lupin, but he'd seen the man's work in other competitions, and he could - albeit grudgingly - admit that Lupin had deserved his wins. Severus himself had two photographs of winning cakes hanging on the wall of fame he and Draco had passed on the way in, which put him ahead of Trelawney and even with Lupin, if he remembered correctly.

Pansy gestured to some empty seats, and Severus nodded a polite greeting at his fellow competitors before taking a seat; Draco dropped down beside him, his attention focused on his Blackberry as he inputted a flurry of last-minute notes.

Remus recognized the newcomer at once, even though they'd never met. Severus Snape was considered a rather controversial figure because he hadn't trained, as most of the rest of them had, at an established culinary school, and he was often described as "quirky" for his habit of never speaking on camera during televised competitions. The tall, dark, taciturn man was an undisputedly brilliant baker, however, and Remus was delighted to see him among the competition. 

Since they were still waiting for the last two of their number to arrive, Remus decided that he would take the opportunity to introduce himself. Rising from his seat, he approached Severus, then held out his hand with a friendly smile. "Hello, Mr. Snape, I'm Remus Lupin," he said, his voice warm. "May I say that it's an honor and pleasure to meet you? I've seen your designs, and your work is absolutely amazing. I'm delighted that I'll get to see you create something in person."

Severus was surprised when Lupin approached him, but he rose and clasped Lupin's hand, shaking it firmly. He cleared his throat, trying not to show his discomfort at having to speak. A childhood infection had left his voice a raspy, gravelly mess, which he had once heard described as being somewhere between Tom Waits and Froggy. It had been a source of ridicule - along with his clothes, nose, intelligence, and poverty - at school, and even as an adult, he hadn't been able to overcome decades of self-consciousness about his looks or his voice.

"Thank you," he said tersely. "Your fondant work is quite good, too."

Remus was surprised at the sound of Severus' voice, but he didn't let it show. As predatorily good-looking as he was, Remus had expected him to have a voice like velvet, not the rough sounding baritone that issued from his throat. But Remus had long experience with covering his emotions, be they surprise or pain, and he didn't lose his friendly expression. 

"Thank you," he replied easily. Severus had a firm, warm handclasp that Remus liked very much, and up close, he could see that Severus' eyes were dark and deep. Remus had a particular liking for dark eyes. "Have you any guesses as to the identities of the other two? So far I believe you and I are the only ones with multiple wins under our belts."

Severus had noted that Lupin was reasonably attractive when he'd seen Lupin in the competitions, but in person, Severus had to bump him up from "reasonably attractive" to "handsome"; the camera hadn't managed to capture the brilliant hue of his blue eyes or the faint dusting of freckles on his nose, which Severus found charming. He felt a stirring of attraction, and he squelched it immediately; he knew better than to let himself give in to fanciful nonsense. Even if they weren't competing against one another and if Lupin was gay to begin with, Severus had plenty of bitter experience to draw on; if men weren't turned off by his looks, they were turned off by his voice, and he'd found it far easier and more peaceful not to bother with attraction, sex, or romance. Instead, he focused on the question he'd been asked.

"Not many competitors have more than one," he pointed out. "Depends on who said yes, I suppose."

"Really?" Remus lifted a brow, wondering if he should have paid more attention to the endless stream of facts that Hermione seemed to spew at him during almost every moment they worked together. "I haven't watched many of the shows, to be honest, so I thought that there were quite a few repeat winners. I kept up with Harry and Sybil, since I've competed against both of them, and you since you were in one of Harry's competitions and I found your work so brilliant. But for the most part, I've been too busy with business to bother. I even turned down another invitation for the regular show, since I don't have time. I only accepted this because the potential prize money was enough to justify the break."

"I keep up," Severus replied. "I have the time."

Unlike most of his fellow competitors, he hadn't gone to culinary school, and he didn't own his own business; he still worked for the man who had trained him and taught him from the time he was sixteen, nurturing his innate talent and love of baking - and giving him a purpose in life that let him feel confident about _something_. He didn't feel driven to leave his "home bakery", not when it had been his safe haven for years.

For once, Remus wasn't able to hide his surprise. "Oh?" He clamped down on the questions that rose automatically to his lips, not wanting Severus to think that he was prying, even if he _was_ wildly curious as to why someone with Severus' talent didn't have people breaking down his door, demanding his creations for their special occasions. Remus knew that he, himself, was talented, and his business had proven quite successful, but he was self-honest enough to admit that from what he had seen, Severus was even better. 

Before he could say anything else, however, the door opened, and two more groups of three entered. It was easy enough to tell the network people, so it seemed that the others were a group of two young men not much older than Potter and his assistant, while the final pair were a young woman with brilliant pink hair, accompanied by a young man with red hair that was almost as bright. He didn't recognize any of them, but they seemed far younger than he and Severus.

"Well, I don't know them," he said quietly to Severus. "Have you any clue?" He wasn't terribly curious about the latest arrivals, really, but he found himself oddly unwilling to move away from Severus yet.

"Marcus Flint," Severus said, nodding toward the dark-haired young man. "Good sculptor, limited bag of tricks, one win. Nymphadora Tonks. Fresh out of culinary school. Not much experience yet, but creative. Two wins."

"My goodness, you do keep up!" Remus grinned at Severus, then noticed Hannah motioning for him to return to his seat. He sighed and shook his head. "Looks like I'm being summoned. It was good to meet you, Severus. I can honestly say that with you here, this is going to be a very interesting contest - and now I'm less worried about winning than just making sure that your work doesn't make me look like a rank amateur!"

Severus made a scoffing noise in response. Lupin was talented in his own right, which was fine with Severus; he didn't want the competition to be easy. Where was the fun in that? He said nothing more as he took his seat, partly because it seemed the first meeting was about to get underway and partly because he didn't want to strain his throat with too much talking. He hadn't intended to chat with anyone, but somehow, he didn't mind talking to Lupin, foolish of him as it might be.

The others were taking their places as well, and then the door opened again, admitting four other people. Remus recognized Rita Skeeter at the head of the group; she was the Epicurean Channel's producer for _Takes the Cake_ , and it had been she who had issued Remus' invitation to participate in all of the competitions. Behind her were three people in chef's coats, and Remus recognized them as well, since they each had been judges during Remus' various competitions. The first was a stern looking older woman with greying hair pulled back in a bun and glasses. Minerva McGonagall was plain spoken, some would even say to the point of rudeness, but Remus knew she was simply as critical of everyone else's work as she was of her own. The tall, dark-skinned man behind her was Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was fair but had high expectations. The final judge was Albus Dumbledore, an older and respected chef whose penchant for whimsical constructions had made him famous for decades.

Rita Skeeter smiled at them all in welcome. "I'm so pleased that you all accepted the invitation to compete against each other in this rather unique contest. We've never done anything on this scale before, but I think I can say with certainty, it's going to be the best we've ever done. As well as the most demanding, so you'd all better be prepared for a very intense time. If any of you don't have the stamina for this, it would be better to drop out now, rather than embarrass yourself."

Remus managed not to roll his eyes at her diatribe. He had no illusions about what she was really concerned about - a loss of money for the network. He didn't mind it, though, and nothing was going to stop him from competing now. He glanced in Severus' direction, thinking that it had been quite a long time since he'd looked forward to anything quite so much.

She went on to explain that the contest would be in the form of a bake off, with one of them being eliminated after each challenge. The challenges themselves, or at least the first three, wouldn't be very different from the kinds of things they'd all done on the show before, so they all were familiar with the format. The final challenge would be something new and different, but she refused to explain what it was, which made Hermione huff in annoyance at Remus' side. Remus wasn't terribly bothered by not knowing what they would face in the end, assuming he even got that far. He knew he had to focus on each challenge as it came up, not fret about something that might not happen at all.

Severus listened intently, pleased to face such a challenge. He had enjoyed the competitions he had participated in before, but this was new and different, and he suspected he would find himself stretched in ways he didn't expect, which was the point for him. The money and recognition were nice, as was the extra business it brought to his boss' bakery, but for Severus, the challenge was the biggest thing. He thrived on pressure, competition, and winning; it might be a subconscious attempt to soothe the old hurts of his younger, outcast self, but while he knew he was good at what he did, something within him still craved the validation of winning.

"I can tell you about your first challenge," Skeeter continued archly, as she consulted her notes. "As you know, the competition begins at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, and you will have eight hours to construct your cake. However, we will give you time to plan, sketch, and gather your construction materials overnight."

Beside Severus, Draco sat up and poised to take notes. Severus was attentive enough that he didn't really need Draco's notes, but the young man was focused and organized, and he was particularly adept at piping, his attention to detail serving him in good stead when it came to the painstaking form of decoration.

"Your first challenge is to tell us the story of your life in the form of cake," Skeeter said. "There are no required elements beyond the height requirement, but the judges will be looking for a discernible story in addition to strong technique and creativity."

Severus grimaced at that; his story wasn't one he particularly wanted to tell, but at least he had the rest of the day to think about how to tackle it.

There were a few murmurs in response to the challenge announcement, and Remus could hear Hermione tapping away on her keyboard, but he was too busy wondering what he was going to do that would be interesting enough to represent in a cake. It wasn't as though he done much outside of work, after all, but he'd have to find a way to represent it, somehow. He was certainly glad they'd have all night to think about it, because at the moment, his mind was completely blank.

"All right, then, that's everything," Rita said. "You all know the judges, so just be prepared and in the studio by six o'clock AM for set up, and we'll get started promptly at eight AM. Don't be late."

With that, she and the judges made their way out of the room, leaving everyone else to get their ideas in order. It would all start in the morning, and by late afternoon, the first of them would be eliminated, leaving the rest of them one step closer to $50,000 and the right to claim that they were the finest pastry chef in the country.

* * *

After spending the afternoon planning his first cake and shopping for the materials he would need to construct the foundation, Severus was ready to have some down time - the proverbial calm before the storm of competition to come. He left his hotel room, which had been provided courtesy of the network, and went down to the bar for a drink and maybe something to eat. Draco was in his own room, immersed in last minute plans and preparation, and he had muttered something about getting room service when Severus had called to ask if he wanted to come along. Severus considered ordering room service himself, but Draco would ask questions, show him notes, and fret at him if he made himself available that way, and he wanted not to think about the competition for a while. They were prepared, and he was pleased with his design; he didn't see any point in dwelling on it and possibly working up his own anxiety. There would be plenty of time to have an attack of nerves in the morning.

He found an empty booth in the hotel bar and claimed it, looking around to see if any of his fellow competitors were around, but he didn't recognize anyone. Picking up a menu, he skimmed it while he waited for a waitress to come and take his order.

It had taken him several hours and dozens of rejected designs, but Remus had finally settled on an idea for his first cake that he actually liked. Hermione, who had seemed on the verge of smacking him over the head with a spatula, had sighed in relief as he showed her the final drawing, then had firmly tossed him out of the room with instructions to get something to eat and to leave her in peace to do her job. She'd only been his assistant for about a year, but they worked together very well, so he did as he was told and took himself off to the hotel restaurant for something to eat and a break from the stress he knew awaited him the next day.

As he passed the hotel bar, however, he glanced in and noticed Severus sitting alone in one of the booths, and before he'd even made a conscious decision he had changed direction, stepping inside and approaching Severus' table.

"Hello," he said, smiling as he stopped at Severus' side. "Did your assistant kick you out, too, or did you actually come down here of your own free will?"

Severus glanced up from the menu at the sound of a familiar voice. "Free will," he replied, nodding politely to Lupin. Normally, he kept conversation to a bare minimum, but something compelled him to add, "Draco is enthusiastic and intense. I wanted to escape for a while."

"Hermione is, too," Remus replied, shaking his head and chuckling. "It took me a while to come up with my design, so she summarily tossed me out so that she could get things done without me hovering. Sometimes I get the feeling that she doesn't believe I ever did things all by myself." He paused for a moment, then widened his eyes and gave Severus an appealing smile. "So, does escaping mean you'd like to be alone, or would you mind some company? I won't be offended you if tell me to go away, either; I'm well aware that people in our profession sometimes need to have some time alone to recharge." Of course, he hoped that Severus did want him to stay; he found Severus fascinating, and he wanted to get to know him better.

"I wanted to be away from Draco, not necessarily everyone else," Severus said, the words out before he could think better of it. It was foolish to commit himself to a situation that would require him to talk - and to a competitor, no less - but apparently, his tongue had ideas that differed from what his brain thought best.

Remus grinned, not hesitating to slide into the booth before Severus changed his mind. He recognized Severus as a loner, so he was surprised that Severus had agreed, but he wasn't going to question his good fortune. He met a lot of people in his line of work, mostly customers, of course, but while he was interested in the stories they told him about why they wanted their particular cakes - and there was _always_ a story - it was a rather superficial form of social contact. He wasn't an extrovert by nature, but he'd been feeling lonely lately; he was successful in his business, but he'd become well aware that he had no one to share it with. Severus was by far the most interesting person he'd met in ages, and they already had a lot in common. That didn't necessarily mean that Severus was interested as well, but Remus thought it well worth trying to find out.

"Thank you," he said, leaning back with against the padded both with a sigh. "So, does anything on the menu look appealing? I'm pretty easy to please, usually."

Since the bar was an extension of the hotel's restaurant, the menu was fairly extensive, but Severus thought the teriyaki grilled chicken sandwich looked good, and he turned the menu around so Remus could see it and tapped the item in question, giving one of his usual non-verbal responses. He was surprised that Remus hadn't asked him anything about his voice. Normally, "is that your real voice?" was one of the first things anyone asked him, but either Remus was particularly polite and didn't want to bring up a difficult subject, too disinterested to bother asking, or too oblivious to realize Severus didn't much like to talk. For now, Severus was betting on polite.

"Teriyaki chicken?" Remus peered at the menu, then nodded. "That sounds good to me, too. With french fries and iced tea, I think." He'd caught on that Severus didn't care to verbalize much, and he thought that Severus might be self-conscious about his voice. Which was a shame, in his opinion; Severus might not have the silken tones that he probably deserved, but he had no cause to be ashamed, either. "I can order for us, if you'd like." He hoped that he wouldn't offend Severus by the offer, when he just wanted to help.

The offer surprised Severus, and he raised one eyebrow as he regarded Remus steadily across the table, trying to decide whether it was a simple offer to help or a gesture of pity. In the end, he nodded, deciding to take the offer at face value. Besides, anything that kept him from having to speak to a stranger and get the inevitable odd look was a good thing. "Thanks," he said, putting the menu back in place.

"No problem," Remus replied easily, glad that Severus hadn't thought he was being pushy or pitying. "Fries and iced tea for you as well?"

Severus nodded, and after a brief pause, he snagged the menu again and opened it to the dessert section, tapping the entry for Boston creme pie. "This too," he added.

"Absolutely!" Grinning, Remus gave Severus a playful wink. "You'll have to tell me how their custard stacks up, since I think I'll go for the apple pie." He signalled for the waitress, who came over promptly, and gave their orders. Once she'd departed again, he turned his attention back to Severus. "There we go. I imagine it won't take too long, since such things are pretty easy. I worked for a while in a hotel restaurant back home, and the meals were usually designed to be done quickly, since people were usually in a hurry to be about their business."

"I thought you had always been a pastry chef," Severus remarked, giving Remus a curious look. He couldn't picture Remus being a line chef in a big, generic hotel kitchen, and he wondered if it had been Remus' pre-culinary school job.

"Oh, no, not at all," Remus replied, thinking back to his earlier career. "I actually started out to be an executive chef, with hopes of running a restaurant of my own someday. I had to work my way through culinary school, thus the job in the hotel kitchen as a sous chef. But when I was near the end of my training, I took a course in pastry, and... I fell in love. I liked cooking, don't think I didn't, but it was when I was learning to do cakes that I realized what I really adored. So I stayed on and took an advanced course, and then worked extra hours at the hotel to save up enough to start my own business. It was small at first, just doing cakes for functions at the hotel, but bit by bit, my clientele grew. One of the producers of _Takes the Cake_ saw one of my creations at a wedding, which led to my invitation to do the show. I won, and _that_ was the boost my business really needed. I was able to hire Hermione a year ago and go from rented kitchen space to something I own. It look me a long time to do it, but I'm finally where I'd hoped to be. Career-wise, at least."

Severus nodded, uncertain how to respond at first. He had little experience with small talk, and "getting to know you" conversations such as this one seemed to be were not something he was adept at or comfortable with. "Congratulations," he said at last, deciding it would be appropriate to acknowledge Remus' success. Remus was his competition, but he didn't take the contests personally to the point of being jealous of anyone else's success.

Remus flushed, realizing he's been rattling on and Severus probably thought he was either bragging or a complete idiot. "Sorry," he murmured, giving a rueful little smile. "I don't know why I blurted all that out, really. I guess part of it was this whole cake assignment for tomorrow; I don't generally look back on things, but I had to for this. It was hard for me to come up with anything I thought interesting enough to make a cake out of, to be honest."

Severus could certainly understand _that_ , although from a slightly different perspective. "Me too," he admitted, pausing before making another confession. "My life isn't suitable for a cake."

"No?" Remus was very curious about Severus' life - about everything about Severus, to be honest - but he didn't want to seem like he was prying. "If you feel like telling me about it, I'm certainly willing to listen, but I also understand if you don't want to confide in someone you've just met. But rest assured I don't tell tales, if you do need to talk. Sometimes it's even easier to confide in a virtual stranger than it is in someone close."

The offer was startling, and Severus sat back, regarding Remus with surprise for a moment; he didn't confide in people as a general rule, and he couldn't remember anyone ever offering before. He was content to keep people at a safe distance - most of time, anyway. There were times when he felt the lack of close companionship in his life, but he was at a loss about how to change it, and so he accepted his lot as it was, not as he wanted it to be. The idea of confiding to a stranger _did_ seem odd and yet compelling, too, although he had to wonder why Remus seemed to take such an interest in _him_ of all people.

"Why?" he asked at last. "You just met me, too. Why would you want to know about my life?"

Remus hadn't expected that question, and so he had to pause for a moment, wondering if he should be up front about his interest in Severus. He finally decided it was a bit too soon, although he wasn't going to lie. "Well, you listened to me," he replied quietly. "And I think you're talented and interesting. I... well, I don't have many close ties, to be honest, since my work has come first for so long. I'm not trying to intrude, I promise, but I think we probably have quite a lot in common."

That wasn't the answer Severus had expected. He couldn't remember anyone saying they thought they had something in common with him; he could only recall being singled out as different, nothing like his peers, and he had never been called interesting.

"I don't have close friends either," he admitted at last. "Draco is my assistant. He's good at his job, but we aren't friends."

Remus nodded. He could imagine that Severus being taciturn probably made it difficult to develop close friendships, just as his own work schedule did. Unless Severus had no desire for close friends to begin with; some people didn't, after all. "I like Hermione, but she's more a cross between employee and mother hen," he said, his lips twitching. He got the impression that Severus did want to talk, but at his own pace and in his own way, so he didn't press, hoping to draw Severus out, to make him feel comfortable. "Not everyone even wants close friends, of course, and there isn't anything wrong with that. For myself... I've begun to realize that there are things outside of work. I don't regret much about how things have turned out, but I'm thinking that I need to make a few changes."

Severus nodded slowly as he mulled over Remus' words, which hit rather close to home; perhaps they _did_ have a bit in common after all. "I'm not good at talking to people - in more ways than one," he said with dry irony. "Not much practice. After a while, it becomes easier not to bother trying."

That was the first time Severus had made any reference to his voice, so Remus took it as a sign that he could mention it as well. "You don't have to be self-conscious about talking to me," he said honestly. "Unless speaking hurts you, I don't mind listening."

Severus felt an old, tight knot in his chest loosen at that, and he relaxed a little at the reassurance he had rarely been given before, although he spotted their waitress approaching, and he waited until she had delivered their food and left again to respond.

"It doesn't hurt," he said. "I don't speak much, so my throat gets a little strained if I talk too much, but it isn't painful." He paused, and then he decided since the topic had already been broached, he might as well tell the full story. "When I was eight, I got sick. Sore throat. My parents didn't have the money to spare for a doctor, so they treated me with home remedies in hopes it would get better. It didn't. I got an infection. By the time they took me to the ER, the damage had been done. I was hospitalized, and the doctors did what they could, but..." He shrugged and gestured expressively to his throat. "I was teased a lot."

"I'm sorry." Remus looked at Severus somberly, feeling sadness and sympathy for what Severus had suffered and what he had lost. "Children can be horribly cruel to anyone who is different, and sometimes adults aren't much better, unfortunately." He shook his head. "I can't even imagine what you must have gone through, and I think it speaks very well of you that you don't seem to be an angry, bitter person because of it."

"I almost was," Severus replied with another little shrug. "Then I started baking. My mother designed and baked cakes on commission for a neighborhood bakery. When I was sixteen, she got me a job there. I learned from her and the owner. Discovered my innate talent. Worked my way up. I didn't have the money for culinary school. I didn't even go to college. I've been working at the same place all these years. Being on the show brought in more business, which is nice, but I enjoy the competition itself more than the money or exposure."

Severus' story was quite a revelation, and as Remus listened he could almost see what Severus described. There was no doubt in his mind that Severus had a natural talent and had been fortunate enough to find a position in which to use it, but he could also see very clearly that Severus probably hadn't pursued either culinary school or college in part because of his voice, which was a damned shame. Perhaps Severus had somehow found the perfect position just by sheer luck - and given what he'd gone through in his life, if anyone deserved that type of break, Severus certainly did - but just as Remus wouldn't have discovered his own talent with baking without culinary school, there might be something even greater out there waiting for Severus if he only had the opportunity to see it.

Not that he could say that to Severus, or at least not in so many words.

"It's fortunate that you found something to do that you love," he said instead, smiling at Severus, realizing he was one of the few people Severus had probably ever told about his life, which made him fortunate as well. He gestured to the food in front of them, which he could tell by sight and scent was of decent quality, though hardly haute cuisine. "What do you feel about other forms of cooking, then? Have you tried your hand at things besides baking?"

"A little," Severus replied as he picked up the sandwich and took a bite. "I enjoy it, but I prefer being a pastry chef." He paused, debating whether he wanted to admit a thought he'd been harboring for quite some time. "Although I've considered going to culinary school now that I can afford it. I'm not ashamed," he added with a proud tilt of his chin, "but it might be nice to broaden my horizons and learn the techniques Tom couldn't teach me." He shrugged and gave a slight wry smile. "Who knows? I might change my mind and dedicate the rest of my life to classic French cuisine instead of cakes."

Remus couldn't help but grin at that, glad that his concerns had been unfounded. "You don't have to a thing in the world to be ashamed about," he assured Severus quickly. "But I have to admit that's exactly what I was just thinking, since basically I had the opposite happen to me. Sometimes you just have to be exposed to something before you know that you'll like it. I admit it would be loss to the baking world if you decided to go into something else, but that might not happen, and at the very least, you would learn something new. I still take classes myself, you know. There are always new things being discovered, new recipes and techniques to improve on my own core knowledge. And not just in baking, either; I was able to take a short but intense course in Japanese cooking last year, and I loved it, although not enough to leave my cakes behind." He gave Severus a conspiratorial wink. "But some of the things I learned in the course have given me new tools to help with this competition. In fact, I'm planning to use at least one of them tomorrow."

"Oh?" Severus asked casually, hoping Remus would go ahead and tell him what it was. He often learned new techniques from watching other chefs work, but he could understand if Remus preferred not to share secrets with the competition. Still, Severus could always ask later or watch the show when it aired to see what Remus did if Remus didn't tell him now.

Pleased with Severus' interest, Remus leaned across the table, beckoning Severus closer with a finger. It wasn't a danger to confide in Severus, since knowing the possibilities didn't impart the skill to actually manage the execution. Besides, for some reason, he trusted Severus, even though they were competing against one another. 

Smiling, he dropped his voice to a low, husky murmur. "Rice paper," he said softly. "It's amazing stuff and completely edible. If you'd like, I'm willing to share my knowledge after tomorrow."

"Yes, I'd like that," Severus replied with a nod. "I look forward to seeing what you do with it. I can't imagine how you're planning to use it."

"You'll definitely see," Remus replied, leaning back and picking up his iced tea, taking a long drink. Remus had a particularly acute sense of smell, which served him well in his job, but it also meant he could detect Severus' clean, spicy scent, and he found he liked it quite a lot. More, perhaps, than was entirely safe.

"Even if you don't want to go to culinary school full time, I can highly recommend some of the courses I've taken," he continued, picking up his sandwich. "Even if you don't want to change directions, they can be fun."

"I'd like to do that, but it would be difficult." Severus toyed with a french fry as he thought about the dilemma he'd been wrestling with for quite some time. "There isn't a decent culinary school close by, so I would have to relocate, which would mean giving up my job."

Granted, he'd established enough of a reputation for himself that he could probably find a job near a good school, but he wasn't good with change, especially not changes of the life-altering sort, and so he had been dithering over whether to take the plunge or stay where it was safe and familiar for the last few years. In one sense, he regarded the competitions he'd participated in as baby steps toward entering the wide world beyond his home bakery, but he hadn't quite talked himself into making the break yet.

"There's one by me," Remus said lightly, then shrugged, trying to keep his tone casual. "They sometimes run one-week intensive courses. If you'd like to try one, I have plenty of room."

Severus sat back and stared at Remus across the table, stunned by the offer; it had been casually made, perhaps no big deal to Remus, but Severus wasn't accustomed to such generosity, especially from people he'd just met. Most people seemed to assume he was stuck up because he was quiet, reserved, and idiosyncratic - judging him by appearances as people had done all his life - but Remus was different, and Severus wasn't quite sure how to react to him.

"Are you sure?" he asked, giving Remus a dubious look. "It doesn't seem wise to open your house to strangers like that."

"You're not a stranger, not really anymore," Remus replied easily. He could hardly say that he liked the thought of having Severus around, but he had other justifications he could use beyond 'I'm very attracted to you and really want to get to know you better'. "You're hardly untrustworthy from what I've seen, and it's not as though I have much of anything that anyone would be interested in taking. No, I wouldn't invite just anyone to stay with me, but you seem to be a good person. You've listened to me natter on, and you've not told me to shut up and go away - or at least not yet! - so I think we'd get along well enough for a week. Besides, the course will keep you so busy, you probably wouldn't have time to get irritated with me or me with you. So the offer stands, if you want to take it. It's probably better to try it out first anyway, before you do something as drastic as relocating."

"True," Severus acknowledged. It sounded like the sort of small step that would be easier for him to face than packing up and moving into a completely unknown situation. "If there's a list of up-coming courses available, let me know. I might give it a try."

"Sure!" Remus smiled, finishing off his sandwich and then pushing his plate aside with a sigh of contentment. "If you have an email address, I can send you their website. Or Hermione can print off a list from her laptop tonight. Sometimes the hardest part is settling on which of the many to take. For me, it's not uncommon for all of them to sound good." He looked at Severus' plate. "Let me know when you're ready for dessert, and I'll signal the waitress."

"A list would be sufficient." Severus polished off his sandwich and pushed his plate aside as well, quite pleased by how the unexpected conversation had gone; for once, he was interested in interacting with someone, since Remus was neither annoying nor tiresome and seemed disinterested in the quality of his voice. "I'm ready if you are."

"More than ready," Remus replied, raising his hand to beckon the waitress. She smiled and nodded, disappearing into the kitchen then returning moments later with two plates and a pitcher of iced tea.

"Here you are," she said, serving up their desserts and then refilling their tea glasses. "Will there be anything else?"

"Not for me," Remus said, lifting a brow. "Severus?"

Severus shook his head, satisfied with what he had. He didn't want to eat too heavily or he might not sleep well, and getting enough sleep tonight was of paramount importance.

The waitress smiled, offering up the check, which Remus took immediately and signed with his room number. Not that it mattered since the show was paying for their stay, but he'd have been more than happy to have taken Severus out for real.

 _I've got it bad,_ he thought with a mental chuckle. _And I don't even know if he prefers men!_

"So how is the Boston Creme pie?" he asked, striving to keep his tone casual. "Edible?"

If the network hadn't been footing the bill for the hotel room and all meals, Severus would have protested Remus claiming the check, but since it didn't really matter, he let it pass and decided to put the meal on _his_ room next time. _If there is a next time, which there probably won't be because this isn't a date_ , he reminded himself sternly.

"It's passable," he said after taking a bite of his dessert. "My mother's is better."

"Lucky you - my mother is a terrible cook," Remus replied with a rueful shake of his head. "I always wondered if my culinary ambitions stemmed from a sense of self protection. As it was, by the time I was twelve, I handled most of the cooking in the house, for which my father was very grateful." He took a bite of his own apple pie, then shrugged. "Box mix pie crust, canned apples, but not terrible. At least one thing my mother's cooking did was make me very tolerant of food that is decent rather than epicurean!"

Severus gave a quiet, amused snort at that. "I suppose it would. My mother's cooking gave me higher standards, but I don't consider myself a food snob." He paused and then pushed his plate toward Remus. "You can try it, if you like. It's probably from a box mix, too, but it isn't awful."

It wasn't uncommon for people in the culinary field to offer to share dishes, but for some reason, Remus found Severus' offer more intimate. He didn't hesitate, however, moving his fork and cutting off a small bit. He raised it to his lips, tasting it consideringly. "You're right - not stellar, but not horrible, either. Here, you can try the apple pie if you want. I think it could benefit from fresh apples."

"That goes without saying," Severus replied tartly, although he reached for the plate and tasted the pie anyway. It was just as Remus described, and he nodded agreement. "Not terrible. Not something I'd want to eat on a regular basis, either."

"Perhaps we ought to send the chef some recipes," Remus suggested, his tone playful. "It couldn't hurt, right?"

"It couldn't get much worse," Severus agreed, surprising himself with the tartness of his response. Normally, he was more careful and circumspect around other people, but he found himself relaxing enough with Remus to be himself.

That made Remus laugh outright. He found himself delighted with Severus' acidic wit, and pleased that Severus had decided to show it to him. "You're right about that," he said, then sighed with reluctance. "Unfortunately, though, I'm going to need to get back to Hermione before she comes looking for me and I get lectured about proper preparation for the competition." He made a slight face, then looked at Severus appealingly. "I've enjoyed talking to you, Severus. If I've not driven you totally out of your mind, what do you say to a shared drink tomorrow after the competition, to celebrate getting through the first round? And before you say anything, I have no doubt that we'll both make it through the first round, barring some complete tragedy with one of our cakes."

Severus was surprised anew by the invitation; he hadn't expected Remus to want to spend more time with him, especially not so soon, but the idea wasn't unappealing to him, and so he nodded. "I think we'll make it through the first round," he affirmed. "My bet is either Trelawney or Flint will be first to go. You're good enough to make it easily, and so am I."

"Excellent!" As much as Remus wanted to stay and continue getting to know Severus, he knew he had to go, but the thought of being able to talk to him the next night was something with which to console himself. He rose from the booth and smiled. "Well, then, I'd best be off, then. Have a good evening, Severus. I'll see you tomorrow."

Severus felt a vague sense of disappointment, but he knew he needed to go over some things with Draco and get to bed; they would need to be at the studio bright and early, and they had a long day of hard work ahead of them. He slid out of the booth too, reaching in his pocket for his room key. "See you tomorrow." He paused, hesitating, and then he held out his hand. "Good luck."

Without hesitating, Remus reached out and took Severus' hand, holding it in a firm clasp. "You, too," he said, his tone warm. "Although I don't think you'll need it."

Severus clasped Remus' hand in return, feeling a little tingle at the warm contact, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thanks," he said, releasing Remus' hand before the tingle could reach his toes and make them curl. "See you tomorrow."

With that, he turned and made a hasty escape, wanting to put all thoughts of inappropriate reactions behind him and focus on the competition ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

"Three, two, one... and begin!"

As one, the chefs and assistants in the six kitchen stations of the studio went into a flurry of activity, each of them intent on the tasks they'd mapped out ahead of time. No one wanted to be the first one kicked off the show, which would not only put them out of the running for the substantial monetary prize, but would also be a blow to their professional ego. As a two-time winner, Remus felt even more pressure to be successful, but he wasn't stressing out about it; he had a solid design, an extremely organized and capable assistant, and more years of experience that the three youngest competitors combined. He wasn't temperamental in the kitchen, either, which he felt worked to his advantage, as did the fact that he and Hermione had practiced making some of the normal cakes ordered at Remus' shop "competition style", just to make sure they could work together that way before the show.

Eight hours might seem like a long time to construct a cake, but for the kinds of things that would please the judges and wow the audience, it was barely any time at all. There were also the added annoyances of bright, hot studio lights, a cramped, far from fully stocked kitchen, cameramen, commentators, and a live studio audience providing plenty of noise and distraction, not to mention sometimes getting in the way. Fortunately Remus had grown accustomed to these and had warned Hermione what to expect, and so he felt they were coming into the challenge with as much preparation as was humanly possible.

While Hermione began the base layer construction, smoothing a buttercream filling onto a huge sheet cake that would be the foundation of Remus' design, Remus himself went immediately to work on the time-consuming detailed bits. Since the challenge was to illustrate their lives in cake, Remus had decided to focus on his culinary career, showing his metamorphosis from student to sous chef to pastry chef. Since there was a height requirement of three feet, Remus had chosen an artful stack of pots and pans made out of cake to help build things upward in a spiral, with each pot or pan showing the typical courses in a gourmet meal, ending, of course, with dessert. The bottom layer Hermione worked on would become a stack of cookbooks, and Remus planned to use the rice paper he'd mentioned to Severus as pages in an open book, some of them dog-eared and showing his real favorite recipes.

With a pen containing an edible ink, Remus began to carefully write out on the delicate paper his recipe for minestrone soup, a time consuming task, but one that he thought would be well worth the effort. The judges liked to see new techniques, and while Remus was well known for his fondant work - which would be showcased in the pots and pans - the rice paper was a new feature. He also planned to use rice paper that had been colored green and carefully curled over steam as leaves of lettuce for his "salad" element, along with fondant "tomatoes" that he hoped wouldn't look too much like little red blobs.

"How is that going?" he called out to Hermione. "Let me know when you have the second layer on, and we'll get on the fondant."

"Going fine," Hermione said, her tone intense but not worried. Remus spared a glance at her, grinning as he saw her biting her lower lip in concentration. She was a great assistant, and he had no doubt that he would, unfortunately, be losing her to her own shop before too long.

Meanwhile, over in his own little kitchen, Severus was busy at work as well. Draco had worked with him in every competition he'd participated in to date, an old hand at tuning out the lights and noise, and they had worked together closely enough and long enough that they had developed their own kind of dance to keep out of each other's way in the small space. Draco was also the one who handled answering questions from the judges and the host and who did the on-camera interviews in Severus' stead. The powers-that-be hadn't been pleased by Severus' refusal to speak on camera at first, but when they found out why - and found out that his silence created a mystique that intrigued viewers - they were more prepared to indulge him.

Severus was known for his expertise with sugar, but he wanted to prove he could do more than that straight-away rather than risk getting booted during the first competition because he'd played it safe. Thus he was creating a cake that involved a challenging structure, using one narrow piece of curved metal as the support system for a cake that would appear to curve in defiance of gravity, held up only by that one piece. Each layer would represent a step up for him, beginning with his childhood. The base layer would be decorated to look like a poor, run-down neighborhood such as the one in which he'd grown up; the next layer would look like the bakery where he'd learned his craft; the third layer would showcase Draco's piping skills to represent the countless wedding and birthday cakes Severus had had to make while he worked his way up the ranks; the fourth layer would be a reproduction of part of his first winning cake in a network competition, and the final layer would represent his greatest dream: a shop of his own. He planned to construct a fondant figurine of himself to place in front of the cake, time-permitting, but for him, the important part would be getting all the layers finished to his satisfaction.

He spared a moment to glance over at Remus' kitchen to see if he could catch Remus' eye since they hadn't had any time to talk prior the the competition getting underway. As it happened, Remus had been looking over at Severus' area as time permitted, curious as to what Severus would be constructing after his confession that his life wasn't exactly suitable for representing in cake, so he met Severus' gaze and grinned, giving Severus an encouraging nod. Since there were no cameras between them, and Severus' kitchen was right next to his, Remus added a playful wink, already looking forward to the celebratory drink they would share after the challenge was over. He couldn't help his eyes straying, either; Severus wore a black chef's coat, in complete disregard for tradition, but it had the effect of making him looking even taller and more slender. Remus wouldn't have thought it possible, but Severus actually made the utilitarian garb look sexy, and he felt the sudden, irrepressible urge to undo Severus' buttons and find out what he looked like underneath.

Severus nodded back and gave a little wave, pleased to have the contact before they both were too immersed in their work to pay attention to anything beyond their kitchen space. It wasn't wise to let himself get too attached, he knew, but surely saying hello couldn't hurt.

"Remus, I'm ready for the fondant," Hermione said, and Remus sighed, dragging his attention away from Severus reluctantly. He knew he needed to concentrate, but he couldn't help the rather naughty images his mind insisted on conjuring up as he rolled out layer after layer of fondant, adding the various colors needed for the items to be represented. He'd decided on a pretty coppery color for the pots, since black was too dark and silver was too blah, in his opinion, and he was pleased with the effect; Hermione had been right to bring his own personal stock of food colorings, which were far richer than the standard ones most people used.

He was draping a layer over a small round cake when he heard an exclamation of annoyance from the kitchen to his left, the one in use by Sybil Trelawney. He couldn't help glancing over, wondering what was wrong, and his eyes widened as he took in the multicolored, amorphous mass of her cake. For the life of him, he couldn't tell what it was supposed to represent, and as he watched, Sybil twisted her hands together in obvious distress.

"No, no, Lavender, it's all wrong!" she moaned. "Look at that green! It's far too strong next to the pink. Bring me a cup of water and a brush. I'm going to blur it a bit so that it doesn't clash."

From what Remus could tell, the whole cake clashed, and he boggled for a moment that Sybil was distressed over something like a particular shade of green when the whole cake looked like nothing but a disaster to him. He moved over to Hermione, his lips twitching in amusement. "Get the supports ready for the layers, would you please?" Continuing on, he crossed to the other side of his kitchen, looking at his rice paper again until Severus was close by. 

It wasn't long before Severus moved closer, intent on setting up the layers of his cake to test the size and layout on the metal support structure so he could figure out if he needed to trim any down. He'd glanced over at the chef on his other side - Marcus Flint - to see what was going on over there, and he wasn't surprised to see Flint already at work constructing fondant flowers. It was Flint's signature element, and Severus wouldn't be at all surprised if McGonagall fussed at Flint for it. She had warned him to step up his techniques and hinted that he was becoming a one-trick pony in the last competition Severus had watched, and Severus was surprised Flint hadn't taken her admonitions more to heart.

Tonks was too far away for him to see much, although he got a fleeting impression of pink before he had to turn his attention back to his own work, rolling out his fondant with a firm hand.

Remus shuffled his rice paper sheets, checking them for dryness, pleased when Severus ended up only a few feet away. "Hey, Severus," he called out softly, glancing about to make certain no one was paying attention to them. "Have you noticed Trelawney's cake? I can't believe it! I may be as gay as Christmas, but even my eyes want to bleed at the sight of that pastel nightmare!"

Severus froze, trying to process what Remus had said to make sure he'd heard correctly and Remus really had let out a casual admission of homosexuality, and then he glanced up at Remus, wide-eyed. He flicked his gaze to Trelawney's kitchen to cover his surprise, and he issued himself a stern reminder that it didn't matter if Remus was gay, too. Remus being gay only meant there was slightly more than a snowball's chance in hell that he would be interested in Severus, and he knew there was still no point in letting himself entertain thoughts he had no business entertaining.

"It looks like Picasso vomited an entire box of crayons on it," he muttered, grateful that he was the only chef without a mic pack.

"Exactly!" Remus chuckled, wondering if Severus' shock was entirely about Trelawney's cake or if, perhaps, he was also reacting just a little bit to Remus' admission of his sexuality. It was a calculated risk, he knew it, since Severus might not be gay too, but it was a small step in the direction he wanted to go, and perhaps with his own cards out on the table, so to speak, Severus might feel comfortable admitting if he was as well. "I wonder if it's a joke or something, but I can't wait to see the look on McGonagall's face when she sees it."

"Trelawney will be lucky if McGonagall doesn't eviscerate her with a single look." Severus forced himself to look back at Remus, trying not to give away the tiny flare of attraction he felt. There was no point in hoping, and he refused to put himself through a fruitless infatuation at his age.

"Deservedly so, if she's seriously expecting the judges to accept _that_ ," Remus answered, shaking his head. He smiled slightly. "At least that means we'll get to have our drink together tonight. I'm looking forward to it.... very much."

"Yes, me too," Severus replied with a brusque nod before turning away quickly. They both had work to do, and he didn't want to let himself be distracted from the task at hand by wayward and inappropriate thoughts.

Remus was a bit surprised by Severus' abrupt withdrawal, and he wondered if he'd messed things up by admitting to his sexuality. Drawing in a deep breath, he turned away as well, telling himself to stop being an idiot. They were in the middle of a competition, and no doubt Severus wanted to concentrate on what he was supposed to be doing, rather than standing around wasting time talking to Remus. Sternly Remus reminded himself that the competition was hardly over, even if Trelawney's cake was a nightmare this early in the competition. Who knew what the judges might take a liking to? If he wanted to make sure that he remained in the running himself, he needed to finish his cake.

"Hermione, let's get to stacking those layers," he said, moving back to his cake and examining it with a critical eye. At that moment, the TV crew decided to focus on him, and Remus put on his camera face, smiling as the host, Regulus, came toward him.

"Good morning, chef!" Regulus greeted him with amiable good cheer. "I hope the competition has started off well for you. Would you like to tell us a little about what you're working on?"

Not only was Regulus cheerful, but Remus had to admit he was extremely good looking as well, and he had no doubt that the high ratings of the show were contributed to by the host's charm. "Good morning," he replied, smiling at the camera and gesturing to his cake, which was taking shape nicely thanks to Hermione's intensive efforts. "Since the challenge was to represent our lives, I decided to focus on my culinary career. I started out to be an executive chef, you see, and fell in love with baking rather late in my training. So I'm going try to show that transition and how I've grown creatively because of it."

"That sounds quite ambitious," Regulus replied with a smile and a warm gaze that lingered a little too long to be strictly professional. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you create for us."

It wasn't the first time that Regulus had been flirtatious toward him, and while Remus was flattered - and, if he were perfectly honest, had wondered if it might be worth pursuing - now that he'd met Severus, he was far more interested in his fellow chef than in Regulus. But there was no need at all for anyone to know those particular thoughts, and so Remus grinned and nodded. "To be honest, I'm rather wondering how it's going to turn out myself! So I'd better get back to it, or Hermione is going to kill me."

"Right." Hermione wasn't far behind him, and she rolled her eyes, although her lips twitched with amusement. "If I did, I'd have to finish this cake all by myself, rather than with your... AHEM... assistance."

"See what I mean?" Remus asked Regulus, shaking his head but moving back into the kitchen. He needed to get back to the miles of fondant he needed to roll, since time would no doubt move more quickly the closer they got to the deadline.

"Good luck!" Regulus called out before moving away to the next competitor, who happened to be Severus. As usual, Draco fielded the questions, but Regulus did take a moment to admire Severus at work, although his previous attempts at mild flirtation had fallen flat there as well, much to his disappointment.

Oblivious to Regulus' regard, Severus immersed himself in the creation process, losing track of the rest of the world for a while. The allotted eight hours seemed to fly by, and it was no time before the final hour was upon them. Severus and Draco both worked as quickly as they possibly could to finish the cake, adding each layer to the curved structure as it was ready; it was a cake that could be viewed from all sides, which he knew the judges would like, and all that remained was to create the fondant Snape that would stand beneath the arching cake.

"Want some help with that?" Draco asked, but Severus shook his head.

"If anyone is going to make me, it should _be_ me," he replied. "I'm the expert."

Draco laughed and moved away to fuss over some last minute details on the layers while Severus meticulously constructed a skinny figure with black pants, a black chef's coat, lank black hair and a beaky nose. He didn't bother trying to make his pastry-self handsomer than his real self; he was too aware of the truth to bother flattering himself in fondant. Every time he looked in the mirror, he saw a man who was too pale with features that were too thin and too sharp, and a nose that was too big for his face - all prime reasons why he knew he needn't bother holding out any hope that Remus would see him as anything more than someone to have a drink with after a competition.

"Where are my lettuce leaves?" Remus asked, turning and looking around the kitchen for the last bits for his cake. He spotted the bowl at last, shoved back behind an abandoned box of sugar, and he sighed in relief. As clean as he tried to keep things while he was working, the flurry near the end always meant a few things got out of place. 

He placed the "lettuce", then stepped back, regarding his creation with a critical eye. There were a few minutes left before their eight hours were gone, but he knew not to mess with things lest he cause unfixable damage. Instead he glanced over at Severus' creation, admiring the elegance of the design, and then grinning as he saw the wee little Severus before it. Now _that_ was something, and he determined then and there he was going to have the fondant figure or perish in the attempt.

"Competitors! Time to move your cakes to the display area!" 

This was the part Remus disliked most; one false step and eight hours of work would be lost forever. Fortunately he didn't have to go first, and he watched as Harry, then Sybil moved their cakes. Then it was his turn, and he and Hermione took a grip on the cake base, moving it slowly and carefully to the table.

When it was safely in place, Remus stepped back and sighed in relief. "Done," he murmured, then slung his arm around Hermione's shoulders, giving her a brief, hard hug. "Thank you - you did fantastic!"

Meanwhile, it was Severus' turn to move his cake, and he felt his usual nervousness, especially since he hadn't tried moving a cake with this unusual structure before. But he and Draco grasped the base firmly and picked it up slowly, moving with deliberate care over to the table. After a couple of heart-stopping wobbles, they managed to get the cake in place without any catastrophes, and Severus released a quiet sigh of relief as he stepped back, squeezing Draco's shoulder briefly by way of thanks.

Flint and Tonks moved their cakes without incident as well, and then it was time for the judges to make their assessment of the finished products.

Remus watched as the judges started with Harry, examining his rather clever design which was shaped like a pyramid. The young man had decided to go quite literal on the "illustrate your life" bit, the four sides of the pyramid depicting infancy, childhood, school age, and adulthood. The judges praised him for his use of the theme, although they criticized his piping work for looking "impatient".

Then they moved on to Sybil's cake, and as Remus had expected, the abstract design was met with exclamations of horror. Sybil tried to explain that she was using color to depict her development as an artist and her vision of beauty, but Minerva McGonagall tartly informed her that it looked more like a Dali-esque depiction of a rainbow as viewed by someone with a hangover. Sybil looked on the verge of tears, and her young assistant, Lavender, patted her back as the judges finished. Even Albus Dumbledore couldn't find anything more positive to say about her cake than a rather faint sounding "Interesting...", and Remus felt a bit bad for Sybil, although she had no one but herself to blame for not choosing something the judges could relate to.

Next it was Remus' turn, and he drew in a deep breath, waiting for the inevitable criticisms of any small flaw. 

"Your fondant work is excellent as always," Kingsley Shacklebolt told him, smiling and nodding encouragingly. "The colors are particularly vivid; perhaps just a bit too much so, but you've managed to make it work."

"I happen to like the colors," Albus Dumbledore said. "And it is a very interesting design. Your miniature wedding cake at the end is particularly nice, if a bit traditional, but overall a very solid piece."

Remus looked at Minerva, who was always the most critical of the judges. He didn't know if she would lay into him for the rather whimsical stack of pots and pans - she far preferred elegance to "cuteness" most of the time - but either she actually liked his design or was still in shock over Sybil's nightmare of a cake, because all she did was nod. "I like the use of rice paper; you're incorporating new and different elements," she said. "Nicely done." Then she moved on to Severus, leaving Remus feeling relieved but also drained.

Severus unconsciously drew himself up straighter as McGonagall and the rest approached and began studying his cake. He thought he'd done a better job of it than Trelawney, at least, but he was never immune to a last-minute bout of paranoia when came to being judged. 

"I'm impressed by this structure," Kingsley said, regarding the design with obvious approval. "You took a big risk with this, and it paid off. Not to mention I can understand the story you're telling quite clearly, and that's an important element of the challenge." Kingsley glanced back at Trelawney's cake as he spoke, and Severus relaxed marginally.

"I for one am glad to see you avoided relying on sugar work," McGonagall said. "You listened to our critiques and branched out into new techniques, which is admirable," she added with a pointed look at Flint's signature flowers. 

"Very clever, dear boy!" Dumbledore bent over to examine the fondant figurine and the decorations on each layer more closely. "As Kingsley said, your cake tells a clear story, one that impresses me as much as the cake itself, since it reveals more about you than the others appear to do."

Severus inclined his head in acknowledgement, relaxing enough to smile slightly in response to the judges' praise. McGonagall had a few nitpicks over some of the fondant work, but she hadn't flayed him, which meant he felt safe in assuming he wouldn't be in the bottom this round. When the three judges finally moved on to Flint, Draco grinned and clapped Severus on the back, seeming just as relieved as Severus was himself. He didn't bother paying attention to what they said about Flint and Tonks' cakes; even if he didn't win this challenge - although he certainly wanted to! - he felt certain he was safe.

As the judges finished with Severus, Remus glanced over at him, offering a small smile and a slight nod of congratulations. They still had the formal announcement of the person to be eliminated, but there wasn't much doubt in Remus' mind after what had been said to Sybil that she was going to be on the chopping block. Indeed, while the judges had some rather pointed commentary for Flint and Tonks, all in all, they seemed to like the efforts of everyone except Sybil.

Severus nodded in return and allowed a slight but pleased smile to curve his lips; with neither of them in serious danger of being eliminated, they would be able to share a congratulatory drink. He felt a little more awkward and uncertain now that he knew Remus' preferences, but he reminded himself that it didn't make any difference in the long run. Straight or gay, Remus Lupin was well out of Severus' league and there was no point even thinking about it. Thus having a friendly drink together would be no big deal. 

When the judges had viewed and commented on all of the cakes, they moved away to deliberate together over their decision, and the competitors drew closer together as they awaited their fate.

"What do you think will happen?" Nymphadora Tonks, a tall, slender young woman with streaks of pink in her brown hair, asked quietly. She was standing closer to Remus than he was comfortable with, and Remus subtly maneuvered himself to place Hermione between them. 

"They didn't understand my cake!" Sybil wailed, wringing her hands dramatically. "How could they not understand? It's so clear. The colors represent the phases of my life, my growth... It takes true talent to convey that without resorting to the mundane!"

 _Talent you seem to lack,_ Remus thought with a mental sigh. He wasn't normally uncharitable to his fellow competitors, but Sybil was not nearly as good as she thought she was, and Remus wondered who in the world she'd beaten to get the win which qualified her for this competition. He glanced at Severus, his eyes twinkling wickedly.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait and see," he said, keeping his tone bland. "It shouldn't be too long."

"Hopefully not," Severus muttered, folding his arms across his chest as he watched the judges covertly in an attempt to glean any clues he could from their expressions and body language.

Tonks tried to edge around Hermione in a blatant attempt to get close to Remus, and Severus shot her an annoyed glare even as he squelched a flare of something he refused to acknowledge as jealousy. Fortunately the judges reached a quick decision, saving Remus from the necessity of running away from Tonks. They approached the contestants, looking somber.

"We have our decision," Minerva said. "First, we will announce the cake we thought was the best out of the six presented today. Five of you managed to do a good job of representing the theme and portraying a vivid, _understandable_ version of your lives, but there was one cake we felt also showed the type of growth and risk-taking that we expect of the top chefs in this competition." She turned and faced Severus. "Chef Snape, your cake was unanimously chosen by the three of us as being the best. Congratulations."

Severus wasn't certain which was more surprising: that he'd won or that he'd received such high praise from McGonagall, who was by far the hardest judge to please. After a moment of boggling, he shook off his shock and stepped forward to shake her extended hand and nod his thanks. He would express his gratitude to them later, when the cameras were off, but he refused to break his on-camera silence even for this. He glanced at Remus when he stepped back into line with the others, certain that Remus had come a very close second.

Remus smiled at Severus and gave him a thumbs up to show that he thought Severus had well deserved the honor. He wanted to say something, but the judges were obviously about to pronounce who had lost. He faced them, as did the others, not feeling worried but still having the slight trace of doubt that any sane person did when facing the subjective opinion of other people about the merits of their work.

"Unfortunately, as good as Severus' cake was, there was one that was exactly the opposite," Minerva said bluntly. "Not only could we not discern any effort to comply with the theme, the resultant cake would not have been acceptable to us even in a free-for-all challenge. Sybil Trelawney... you will not be continuing in this competition."

Sybil went pale, apparently still managing to be shocked despite the handwriting on the wall that everyone but her had seen clearly. "Oh, oh my," she said, her pale eyes filling with tears. Fortunately the cameras were turning away to pan over the cakes once more, and Remus added his murmur of condolence to Harry's and Tonks' as Lavender put an arm around Sybil's shoulders and led her away.

Sighing, Remus rubbed his forehead, then turned to hold out his hand to Severus. "Congratulations," he said, grinning widely. "It's well deserved! You did a fantastic job!"

"Thanks." Severus clasped Remus' hand and shook it firmly, answering Remus' grin with a slight smile of his own. Now that the stress of the competition was over, he was ready to decompress before they had to face the details of the next challenge. "I'm ready for that drink."

"Excellent idea!" Remus was pleased Severus still wanted to go out, and he glanced over at Hermione. "If you don't mind grabbing up my stuff and bringing it with you, Severus and I are going to head back now. I want to clean up before we get that celebratory drink." He looked at Severus again, debating whether he should be blatant or not, and then deciding he would just brazen it out. "So, if you don't want it, can I have your fondant figure? It's so adorable, I'd hate to see it destroyed, and I have a few special pieces of fondant work that I keep for display." He widened his eyes appealingly. "Please?"

Severus blinked, taken aback by the unexpected request. It was by far the oddest request ever made of him, and he couldn't imagine why Remus would want that piece, of all things, but he nodded. "If you want it, sure," he said, giving Remus a questioning look. "But why?"

"I told you, it's adorable," Remus said, smiling happily. "Thank you! Hang on, let me get it before one of the crew does." He walked over to his kitchen, picking up one of the small boxes his supplies had been stored in, as well as a piece of baking parchment. It took only a moment to remove the small figure from Severus' cake, wrap it carefully and store it in the box. "There. I can put it in the fridge in my room until I head back home and preserve it properly. So, time to head to the hotel, clean up, and get that drink!"

"It's not adorable. It's me," Severus muttered, shaking his head in bemusement at Remus' foolishness as he followed Remus out of the studio, glad to be away from the hot lights and cameras.

There were cars waiting to take them back to their hotel, and Remus gestured toward the first of the line. "Here's our ride. And yes, it looks just like you," he said easily, leaving the obvious conclusion for Severus to draw, if he wished to do so. He slid into the back seat of the car, waiting for Severus to join him before continuing. "So, do you want that drink at the hotel, or shall we make an event of it? After all, you won. I know a fantastic Italian place about a block from our hotel, if you're in the mood for pasta. We could have a drink and dinner, too."

Severus glanced sidelong at Remus and wondered how to take that remark; it _sounded_ like Remus was implying that Severus himself was "adorable", but he knew he wasn't - far from it. Either Remus had misunderstood him or was in dire need of glasses, but whatever the case, Severus knew better than to take the implication seriously or be flattered by it. He looked into a mirror every day, after all. 

Instead he shrugged and addressed the question at hand. "It would be better than having the hotel's food again," he said, and his words were punctuated by his stomach growling a reminder that he hadn't eaten anything but an energy bar since breakfast early that morning. None of them had wanted to waste precious time by stopping to eat lunch. "I probably shouldn't drink on an empty stomach anyway," he added wryly.

Remus chuckled, amused by Severus' stomach chiming in. "A wise man you are," he said. Their car moved away from the curb and headed toward the studio gate. "At least it's only a short way back to the hotel, so it shouldn't be long before we can be wined and dined. You definitely deserve a proper celebration for your victory. Your cake was incredible! It's a good thing I don't get discouraged easily, or I'd already be headed home with my tail between my legs, completely intimidated."

"Thanks. It looked like I wanted it to," Severus replied. He wasn't terribly confident about his looks or personality, but he possessed no false modesty about his cakes. "I'd been wanting to try that arch structure for a while, and this seemed like as good a time as any. I liked what you did with the rice paper, too. I'll want to take you up on learning to use it. I'm curious about the wedding cake at the top, though," he added. He knew he was being nosy and he probably shouldn't, but curiosity had gotten the better of him. "Did that represent your transition from an executive chef to a pastry chef or something else?"

"You pulled the arch off perfectly," Remus said, his tone full of admiration. "You're right, it was a good time, since with this much money on the line, we have to pull out all the stops. And I'll happily teach you about the rice paper; it has a lot of different uses."

He paused for a moment, then decided to go ahead and make the admission, since he'd hinted at it in their earlier conversation. "The wedding cake has a couple of different meanings for me, actually. The first cake I was ever paid to make was a wedding cake, and that convinced me I really could make a go of my own business. But more than that, it's a promise to myself to stop focusing so much on the job and start looking for someone to share my life with. I mentioned last night that I was where I want to be career-wise, and that's true. But lately I've begun to think that there has to be more to my life than this intense focus on making things that celebrate the life achievements of other people. I want to have someone to share my life with, someone to be a friend and confidante and lover all rolled into one. I have a wide circle of acquaintances, but to be honest, you probably know more about me than ninety-five percent of them. I want to be the one eating the cake sometimes, rather than making it."

Severus wasn't sure what to say in response to that, especially when the thought of Remus finding someone made him feel a sudden, inexplicable surge of jealousy, which was ridiculous for any number of reasons. They barely knew each other, and he wasn't anyone's idea of a friend, confidante, and lover to share happily-ever-after with. Remus was handsome, charming, and nice, the kind of man who would be able to find a suitable partner easily, unlike Severus who had a hard enough time making and keeping friends. Finding someone who found both his looks and personality tolerable would be all but impossible. In the end, he could think of only one thing to say.

"I understand."

Remus gave Severus a sidelong glance, certain that Severus didn't understand - or at least not completely. He rather thought that Severus had almost no confidence or belief in his own attractiveness, possibly because of self-consciousness about his voice. He'd mentioned being teased, which Remus could imagine was very much an understatement given what he recalled of his own childhood. Remus wasn't certain what it would take to give Severus the confidence he rightfully should possess, but he was suddenly quite determined to do whatever it took to give it to him.

Their car pulled up to the hotel and stopped. "Shall we?" he asked, then nodded his thanks to their driver before opening his door and stepping out. He waited for Severus to join him, then headed toward the entrance where the hotel doorman waited.

"It won't take me long to clean up and change," Severus said as they entered the lobby and headed to the elevators. "Do you want to meet down here?"

What Remus really wanted was for them to occupy a single shower at the same time, but it was too soon for that, unfortunately. "Sure," he said easily as they stepped into the elevators. He pressed the button for their floor. "Twenty minutes? It's a nice restaurant, but not formal, so you can dress however makes you comfortable."

Severus nodded, but didn't otherwise reply; he felt strangely awkward with Remus now, perhaps because he knew Remus' preferences or perhaps because he knew Remus was looking for a potential partner. Whatever the reason, things were different than the night before, when he hadn't known all this - and hadn't felt both attraction and jealousy, even knowing the futility of it.

Remus stayed quiet as well, hoping that he wasn't off base in thinking it possible that Severus might be interested in him in return. If he were being totally objective, he would have to admit that he didn't even know if Severus had any interest in men, but his instincts were telling him that Severus shared his preference. It could be wishful thinking, of course, but he hoped it wasn't.

The elevator stopped, and Remus gestured for Severus to precede him through the doors. His own room was only a few doors down from the elevators, and he wanted every moment possible to get ready for their dinner. Pulling out his key, he unlocked his door, then turned and smiled at Severus. "Twenty minutes, don't forget," he said.

Severus nodded and hurried off to his own room. Once he was safely behind closed doors, he had an impulse to call and cancel, but that would be cowardly, and he was many things, but a coward was not one of them. Instead, he took the quickest shower of his life, brushed his damp hair, and dressed in a pair of old jeans, a plain black sweater, and sneakers. There was no point in dressing up; his best efforts wouldn't do much good anyway, and he was tired and wanted to be comfortable after such a long day.

Twenty minutes later, he took the elevator back down to the lobby and stepped out, looking around to see if Remus was already there yet.

Remus was, and he rose from the chair where he'd been sitting, smiling widely in welcome. He'd taken a swift shower, then donned black jeans and a button down shirt the same color as his eyes. His hair was still a bit damp as well, and it curled slightly where he'd brushed it back. It was longer than he normally wore it, but he hoped that Severus didn't mind longer hair.

"Fantastic," he said, his eyes warm as he gazed at Severus. Black was definitely flattering on Severus, and the faded jeans clung to his hips in a way that made Remus want to touch in the worst way. But he limited himself to a swift look, then gestured toward the door. "Shall we walk? It's pleasant outside and not far to the restaurant."

Severus nodded and fell into step beside Remus as they headed to the exit. He tucked his hands into his pockets and wracked his brain for something to say to distract himself from looking at Remus too much. "You've been there before, right? What do you recommend from the menu?" he asked at last.

"Yes, I've eaten there all three times I've competed before," Remus replied. The weather was indeed pleasant, and he sighed happily as strolled along the sidewalk. It was still on the early side, so they weren't jostled or crowded, which suited Remus very well. "I got restless my first time here and went for a long walk. That's when I discovered the restaurant. The smells were heavenly when I walked by, so I couldn't resist going in and sampling, and I'm glad I did. As to what I recommend... all of it, really, but my particular favorite is the fettuccine alfredo. All their pastas and sauces are made right there, nothing dried or frozen or commercially manufactured."

"Good," Severus replied with a satisfied nod. He was tired of hotel food already, thus the thought of anything that hadn't been pre-made and re-heated sounded good to him. "I like Italian food - _good_ Italian food, that is."

"I'm no native, but the owners of the Bella Notte are, and I think this qualifies as as good." Remus pointed a bit further down the block, where several wrought iron tables were set off along the sidewalk. "They have indoor and outdoor seating, as you can see. Do you have a preference? I think we're early enough that we'll actually get to choose."

It was a pleasant evening, and after being cooped up in a television studio all day, Severus wasn't eager to spend his evening indoors either. "Outside," he said. "I could use some fresh air."

"Good idea." In short order, they arrived at the entrance, and Remus was welcomed by the dark-haired young woman acting as hostess.

"Mr. Lupin! It is good to see you again," she said, smiling widely at the two of them. "I'll tell Papa you're here! He enjoyed talking to you when you were here last time."

"Thank you, Lisa," Remus said, then took Severus' arm and urged him forward. "I've brought my friend Severus with me this time; he's a pastry chef as well, and I've told him he's in for a real treat. Do you think you could manage an outside table for us? We've been baking all day."

"Of course!" Lisa nodded, picking up two menus from her podium and leading to a table set a bit apart from the others, angled so that it offered the best view of the buildings that lined the street while being far enough from the passersby to offer a bit of privacy. "Here you are. I'll have Francisco bring you some water and fresh bread."

For his part, Severus was glad Remus hadn't mentioned the competition or that he'd won; he wasn't eager to have any amount of attention, however slight, turned on him after being under the lights literally and figuratively all day. He took a seat and a menu with a nod of thanks, looking around with a critical eye and liking what he saw of the place so far.

Remus sat down as well, not bothering to open the menu since he knew what he wanted already. "So, shall we have a bottle of wine with dinner, or would you prefer something stronger?" he asked, relaxing back into his seat. It was pleasant being out with Severus like this, and he hoped that Severus would relax and open up as he had before.

"Wine would be good," Severus replied. He perused the menu, but in the end, he decided to go with Remus' recommendation. "I think I'll have the fettuccine alfredo," he added, putting the menu aside. "What are you having?"

"The same, actually," Remus admitted. "I've liked everything I've had, but that's definitely my favorite, as terrible as it is for my waistline. It's probably a good thing I don't live here or I'd be tempted to indulge too often and end up weighing a ton. It's bad enough being surrounded by cake all day in my work, but there are some things just too tempting to resist."

"Maybe I should order something else. Then we could try each other's dishes," Severus said, glancing at the menu again and then at Remus, scrutinizing him for a moment. "You don't look like you indulge much. Do you work out?"

Remus was surprised but quite pleased that Severus wanted to share dishes; that was a hopeful sign in his book. He was even more pleased that apparently Severus had noticed him to some extent. "I didn't used to when I was in my twenties - high metabolism, working too hard to even remember to eat," he admitted ruefully. "But after I turned thirty, I bought a treadmill and a weight set to use in my apartment. I tend to use it in the mornings before work, since I'm too tired by the end of the day usually. What about you? Are you able to resist the sweets?"

Severus shook his head. "There's a gym down the street from the bakery. I go there before work four or five times a week. I don't do it for my appearance. I found being in good shape helps my stamina at work as I get older, and I can still manage heavy lifting instead of having to stand back and let Draco do it."

The comment about stamina gave Remus far too many naughty ideas, but he clamped down on expressing any of them. "You don't need it for your appearance anyway; you look great," he said instead, making his tone matter-of-fact so that Severus wouldn't think he was trying to be ingratiating. "And since we both work out, we can definitely indulge. How about lasagna for the other entree? Or would you prefer to try something like their chicken parmigiana?"

Severus rolled his eyes at the nonsensical compliment and chalked it up to Remus being nice rather than honest; that he felt a rush of heat in his cheeks and a little flutter in his stomach was something he resolutely ignored. "Lasagna," he said.

The flush on Severus' cheeks didn't escape Remus' notice, and it helped confirm what he'd suspected about Severus' confidence. "Lasagna it is," he said. 

Francisco came toward them, bearing two glasses of ice water and a basket of thick, crusty bread. Remus smiled, introducing Severus and giving their order. When the young man had departed again, Remus gestured toward the basket. "You have to try it; they bake it fresh here every morning. I tried to convince Stefan to branch out into breakfast pastries, but he has his hands full with just the lunch and dinner business, he claims."

Severus plucked a piece of bread from the basket and tried it, his eyebrows climbing when the bread proved to taste even better than it looked. "Not too heavy or doughy. Good seasoning in the butter. I like it."

"Good!" Remus reached for a piece for himself, closing his eyes as he sniffed it, savoring the rich scent. "There are few things in the world that smell better than fresh bread," he murmured, then opened his eyes again and taking a bite. "Even better than I remembered. Just wait until you try the entrees, and the desserts are to die for."

Severus swallowed hard, his mouth going dry as he watched Remus eating the bread, which he thought probably counted as food porn from Remus' expression alone. "In that case, I'm glad we got two entrees," he said, forcing himself to focus on anything but the trace of butter on Remus' lips. "So... do you bake bread as well as cakes?"

"I have, but it isn't something I do regularly," Remus said, licking the butter from his lips before blotting them with his napkin. "What about you? I got the impression your bakery carries a broader range than mine."

"I don't bake bread regularly either," Severus replied, trying not to notice the flash of Remus' tongue and failing miserably, and he concentrated on his own piece of bread as if it held the mysteries of the universe. "That's the owner's specialty. I concentrate on cakes of all types and sometimes pies on the rare occasions I have a lull in the cake orders."

"I like pies, too," Remus said, then paused as Francisco returned with their wine. He opened it, pouring out two glasses for them before retreating again.

Remus picked up his glass, holding it out to Severus with a smile. "Here's to your victory and to many more fulfilling circumstances in your life."

Severus lifted his glass and touched it lightly against Remus', although he privately doubted his fulfillment would extend beyond the little victories he found in his work. It was somewhat depressing, but he had resigned himself to his fate. "To the next challenge," he said. "May it not kick our asses."

"I'll definitely drink to that!" Remus replied, laughing outright. He sipped his wine, watching Severus over the rim. Severus seemed oblivious to his small sallies into flirtation, but he didn't get the feeling Severus was ignoring them; Severus simply didn't see them for what they were. He toyed with the idea of just being plain spoken about his interest, but that might cause Severus to panic and run away. No, this would take some time; he needed to sneak under Severus' defenses, bolster his faith in himself as an attractive, desirable person, and _then_ make it clear that he wanted him. Remus just hoped he didn't botch it, since he was hardly used to relationships himself, but it was a risk he was willing to take because he believed Severus would be well worth the effort.

"So what are your favorite types of cakes to bake?" he asked, leaning forward over the table to be closer to Severus so that Severus wouldn't have to raise his voice and tire it. "Big ones, small ones? Wedding cakes or birthday cakes?"

"Birthdays are a reminder of life passing by swiftly, and weddings are-" _Depressing, a reminder of how alone I am and always will be_ "-too maudlin and sappy," Severus replied, sipping his wine as well. "I prefer making cakes for different occasions, such as a charity event or celebrating someone's accomplishment. But wedding and birthday cakes are the main type I make, of course, so if I must make them, I prefer the unusual requests. I had someone ask for a cake made to look like a stormtrooper's helmet from _Star Wars_ once. That was a challenge, but fun."

"I bet! If you have pictures, I'd love to see them," Remus said. He'd caught the undertones of Severus' comments, and it saddened him that Severus had apparently been even lonelier than Remus himself. "I like unusual requests as well. I made a cake in the shape of a laptop computer for a client's promotion once, and some of the children's cakes I've made have been amusing. One little boy wanted a cake shaped like a baseball. Not a baseball on a cake, but a cake in the shape of a globe. I nearly drove myself mad with that one, because it did not want to stay round; it wanted to flatten along the sides. Finally I decided to put some struts on to help support it - you know, like the sphere at Epcot? That did the trick, but I went through some hairy moments wondering if I'd have to just give up on the idea altogether."

"Sometimes the clients seem to forget we have to work within the laws of physics," Severus said, nodding his understanding of Remus' dilemma. "There are some designs that just won't work, which is frustrating, but at the same time, it's quite satisfying to pull off what seems to be a miracle and make the client happy in the process."

"Exactly! And speaking of miracles, it looks as though our food is here." Remus grinned as Francisco approached the table, placing two plates of fragrant, steaming pasta before them. Remus took a deep whiff and sighed in pleasure. "Oh yes, that's it," he murmured. "I'm starving. How about you?"

Severus' stomach growled again when the scent of the rich sauce wafted under his nose, and he gave Remus a look across the table. "Yes," he said dryly. The waiter had placed the lasagna in front of him, and he tasted it, nodding with approval before pushing the plate over to Remus. "This is good. Very hearty flavors."

Remus smiled, then decided to take a chance. He twirled his fork in the alfredo, then held the bite out toward Severus with a smile. "Here, try this," he said, his eyes gleaming.

Severus eyed the fork and gave Remus a dubious look; he'd never done this before, and he didn't particularly want to make himself look foolish or clumsy, but he supposed it would be rude to grab the fork from Remus' hand. "There's a more efficient way to do this, you know," he grumbled, but he leaned forward and took the bite awkwardly.

"Don't be afraid to try new things," Remus replied, giving Severus a broad wink. "Efficiency isn't necessarily the most fun way." He didn't hesitate to cut off a piece of the lasagna and try it; sharing a fork was perhaps a little intimate among friends, but Remus wanted to be more than friends. "Oh, that is good."

"I don't see what's so fun about the risk of being poked with a fork or getting food all over your face," Severus retorted. He was surprised that Remus didn't wipe off the fork before diving into the lasagna, but perhaps Remus had fewer personal boundaries or concerns about hygiene than most people.

"You don't?" Remus raised a brow at that, then shrugged slightly, wondering if he'd put his foot in it. "Well, I'm not terribly clumsy, so I wouldn't have poked your eye out or smeared sauce all over your face, I promise." He considered for a moment. "Would you like to just split the two? I can ask Francisco to bring two more plates."

Severus gazed longingly at the excellent alfredo and nodded. "I like the lasagna, but I'd willingly give up half. If the desserts are as good as the entrees, I'll have to make use of the hotel gym."

An image of a flushed and sweaty Severus popped into Remus' mind, and he had to pick up his wine, taking a hasty gulp. "They are very good," he said faintly. "Tiramisu that melts in your mouth and cannoli to die for." He drained his wine glass, then refilled his and topped off Severus'. "If you work out, let me know if you want company. I should probably take advantage of the gym myself."

Severus thought about what Remus must look like during a work-out - muscles flexing beneath sweat-dappled skin - and downed half of his wine. "I will," he said. "Not tonight, though, and we've got an early call tomorrow for the next competition. They didn't tell us anything about it today, so I suppose that means it'll be one of those 'mystery' challenges where we have to come up with everything on the fly." He grimaced and shook his head. "I don't like those as much as the ones where you get some advance warning about what you're expected to do."

"I think if I tried to work out after this meal, I'd have a coronary," Remus replied. He signaled to Francisco for more plates, then passed one to Severus. "Dig in, then. If we're going to have a tough day, we'll need to be fortified. You're right about the mystery challenges; so much depends on if you can come up with an idea. My problem is trying to then pare the idea down into something I can actually execute in the time allotted. So many times, I feel like my cake would be even better if they gave us just a bit more time to work on the details."

"So do I," Severus agreed. "I prefer having time to think, plan, and work out the details. The devil is in the details, as they say, and that's especially true in competition. It's worse because all of us must be perfectionists to some extent, or we wouldn't be good enough to be here, and not getting things just so is hell for any perfectionist. Then, of course, is the issue of not being able to recreate what's in your head exactly as you imagined it."

"Definitely!" Remus agreed wholeheartedly. He took a bite of his alfredo, then pointed at the golden chrysanthemum which occupied the vase in the center of the table. "Take that flower. Anyone can do roses; a few swipes with a broad tip and there you have it. But the more complex ones with a million tiny petals? That takes time, and it drives me insane sometimes that the time limit means I can't use what I like and have to compromise. Both fondant and sugar work depend on so many variables - the temperature in the studio, the humidity, the lights. Not to mention how cramped it can get. During my last competition, one of the people was doing fancy sugar ribbons, and his assistant bumped into the tray as they were cooling and shattered them all into tiny fragments. I felt terrible for him."

"That's one reason why I don't do as much sugar work as I could," Severus said, nodding. He remembered that incident, and he had been sympathetic for the fellow, too. "Sugar can be temperamental, and I have enough problems when I'm doing it in my own climate-controlled kitchen with optimal circumstances and plenty of time to finish. If an accident happens in competition, you're almost always screwed. Did you see the competition with the guy who created a big stuffed-animal cake with frosting that he managed to make look like fur? It was brilliant, but too top-heavy, and the cake fell backward onto him when he tried to move it to the judging table. He ended up covered in cake. That was one of my wins, but I doubt I would have gotten it if his cake had had a sturdy enough foundation to hold it up."

"No, I missed that one," Remus said, his eyes wide and horrified. He shivered, thinking about how he would feel if eight hours worth of his work ended up in pieces on the floor. "Thank goodness, or else I'd probably have had nightmares after it! It's hard enough sometimes knowing that people are actually going to cut your creation up and eat it; having it just fall apart would be unbearable!"

"I've been lucky. A few bobbles, but no actual catastrophes." Severus ate a few bites of lasagna and then switched to the alfredo, and he finished off his wine, starting to feel relaxed and even a little pleasantly buzzed. "What about you? Any fiascoes in competition?"

Remus sighed and nodded. "My second competition. I had an extreme element that was supposed to be a spinning ballerina, but there was a short in the motor, so she didn't turn. I'd pinned all my hopes on that one element, and when it failed, my cake lost enough of its oomph that I didn't win. Now I've learned better: have a backup plan, and a backup to the backup plan. I also have played with some of the electronics back at my shop, just to make sure I understand them. Better that than have things fall apart and not be able to do anything about it!"

Severus grimaced and shook his head. "If there's an extreme cake challenge in this competition, that's where I'll be eliminated. I've never worked with more extreme elements than a few LED lights I used for stars on a cake I made for an astronomer. It isn't my forte, and I salute your courage in working with such things."

"Really?" Remus was surprised by that, and then he shook his head. "No, no, that won't do at all! You don't deserve to be eliminated just for something like that!" He bit his lip, suddenly worried that the next day would be exactly that kind of challenge, and he'd lose his opportunity with Severus. "Look, I've got several simple electronic pieces back at my room that I'm going to take with me tomorrow, just in case. Why don't you come back to my room after dinner, and I'll show them to you, along with some of the sketches I have as to how to use them? I couldn't stand it if Marcus or Tonks continued on and you got eliminated just because they had some stupid thing on their cake that you didn't!"

Severus was taken aback by Remus' vehemence, but he was grateful for the offer of help as well; he'd never experimented with extreme elements much, relying on his skill with fondant and sculpture to create different effects rather than lights, motion, and other such tricks. "I'd like that," he replied, nodding. "I don't doubt we'll have to incorporate extreme elements at least once before this is over, and I've been dreading it. I can use all the help I can get."

"Then it's settled," Remus said, nodding in satisfaction. He was looking forward to showing Severus the things he'd worked out, but even more than that, he'd get to spend some private time with Severus as well. He needed to draw Severus out more, find out more about him and give subtle indications of his attraction. "I concentrated on simple things that are pretty fool proof and easy to incorporate, since I've not got much more experience at it than you have. If tomorrow is an extreme challenge, you can have your pick of them."

"I appreciate that," Severus replied, giving Remus a small but genuine smile. "Although I have to say it's odd you're so willing to help me when we're competing against each other."

"No problem. I know it's a competition, but I will freely admit I'd rather go head to head against you than anyone else," Remus said easily. "You are amazing, Severus; I don't know if you even realize just how spectacular it is that you do what you do without having had formal training."

Severus ducked his head slightly, abashed by the compliment. "I had a good teacher," he said simply and shrugged. "I learn a lot through watching and talking to other chefs, too. That's another way these competitions have been helpful. I've been able to learn a great deal from the people I compete with." He paused, then admitted, "I'd rather be in the final round with you, too. You're better than the others. If I win against you, I'll feel like I've earned the victory. If I lose to you, it won't be a galling defeat."

Remus smiled, then picked up his wineglass, acknowledging Severus' compliment with a nod. "I feel the same," he murmured. "So let's finish our dinner and get back to the hotel; I've got a lot to teach you, it seems, and I'm eager to get started."


	3. Chapter 3

When the five remaining competitors arrived at the studio before sunrise the following morning and got through their minimal hair and make-up sessions, they lined up in front of Regulus, who was either an annoying morning person or had mainlined an entire carafe of espresso.

"Good morning, chefs!" he greeted them cheerfully. "Today, we have a new challenge for you, one you've probably all had experience with: making a wedding cake to a client's specifications. We have your clients waiting for you already. Bill and Fleur are a lovely young couple who are planning to get married today. You'll consult with them individually, and then you'll have thirty minutes to plan your cake. The winning cake of today's challenge will be served at Bill and Fleur's wedding reception this evening, and I'm sorry to say, one of you will be eliminated."

After that, time seemed to blur as the chefs went into action. For once, Severus spoke for himself during a challenge, interviewing the engaged couple himself rather than letting Draco do it because he wanted to make certain he got answers to all his questions and heard the information first-hand. He asked them about their interests and favorite colors and whether they wanted to a traditional cake or something more unique, and he was relieved when they both said they didn't want a stereotypical, traditional wedding cake. It freed him up to experiment a little, and as he returned to his station to sketch a design, he already had ideas in mind.

Remus was practically vibrating with energy, full of excitement about the challenge. Of course, it didn't hurt that he'd enjoyed his time with Severus the previous evening, showing him the extreme elements he'd assembled and talking about the various ways they could be used. He'd enjoyed it very much, and even though he'd gone to bed alone, he was even more convinced that he and Severus were well suited.

Thus the thought of a wedding cake, especially one where he had license to unleash his creativity, delighted Remus to no end. He'd been tossing around an idea in his mind for a while, and he decided that this was the perfect chance to actually try it. When Fleur asked for pastels and no pure white, that solidified his choice once and for all.

"Got it!" He told Hermione, grinning as he quickly sketched out his plans. "I want the tall fountain, and we'll need to get both round and oblong layers going at once. You start on that, and I'm going to dive into the fondant and sugar work." With that, he set to work, determined to make this cake perfect, not compromising on anything despite the shortness of time. 

When he finished the sketch, he raised his head, looking over into Severus' kitchen, curious as to how Severus was going to interpret this challenge.

Severus had brought out his topsy-turvy pans, planning to make an asymmetrical cake in pale blues and greens with off-white piping and off-white fleur-de-lis made out of fondant with little fondant figures of Bill and Fleur for the top to make sure he met the height requirement. The design of his cake wasn't going to be that unusual, but he planned the decoration to make it reflect their individuality, using sugar and fondant to create whimsical elements such as ribbons, stripes, curls, and little "pearls". He wanted each layer to have a different pattern, which would help show off his technique and hopefully catch the couple's interest as well.

Caught up in his work, he glanced briefly at Remus and spared him a slight smile, but they both had a lot of work to do, and he knew they both needed to focus until this was over. Right now, he was busy counting his blessings that it wasn't an extreme challenge. Yet.

Time seemed to fly by as Remus worked with controlled haste on his cake. His vision was elaborate, but he thought it would be well worth it. The central portion of the cake was designed to look like a natural "rock" wall, the fondant done in pale greys with hints of moss green. He wanted to use the fountain to recreate a waterfall, which of course was impossible to do down a surface of frosting, and so he made a channel to accept a thick, pale blue tinted piece of clear sugar, which he cast on plastic in the middle of his stainless steel work table. One of the things that saved him time was that the pour didn't have to be perfect; since liquid would be cascading down it, any imperfections would just add to the natural effect. More cake surrounded the base of the fountain, while halfway up he placed another ring of cake, so that the "waterfall" appeared to be falling through a circle of stone. Then he set to work on the part that would really make his vision come to life: dozens upon dozens of small, pastel lotus flowers made of fondant, which rested on circles of glistening green poured sugar floating in the bowl of the fountain. He was more than pleased as it took shape, his vision of a perfect, natural lotus garden coming to life beneath his and Hermione's skilled hands.

As he worked, Severus could hear Potter and his assistant - a red-haired young woman - bickering, but he couldn't spare the time to listen closely enough to hear what it was about. The intricate decorations he'd planned for each layer were more time-intensive than he'd estimated, and he kept glancing at the clock, dismayed at how quickly time was flying by. With scant minutes to spare, he and Draco put the final touches on the cake and added the figurines to the top; he stepped back and surveyed their work with a critical eye, more or less satisfied with the end results. It would have been better had he been able to work on it longer, but for an eight-hour rush job, it wasn't bad.

He looked over at Remus' station, and his eyes widened when he saw what Remus had created; he was more than impressed with the flowers alone, but the addition of a waterfall pushed it to the next level. If that cake didn't win this round, he'd eat his chef's hat, and he made a mental note to ask Remus how he'd put the cake together afterward.

Everything was completed, and the judges approached, ordering the contestants to begin transferring their cakes to the display stands. Potter was first, and Remus was finally able to take a look at what his competition had done. He blinked in surprise at the pale pink layers of cake, decorated with swirls of yellow, blue, and green piping and a myriad of simpering fondant cupids in dusted gold. It didn't take a psychic to see that Potter wasn't at all pleased with his creation, while his assistant, Ginny, was beaming and obviously proud. Remus couldn't help giving a silent chuckle; it was obvious that Potter had had no idea what to do with the theme and therefore had let his assistant have her way, but the unfortunate results looked like a horrible, pastel interpretation of Botticelli in three dimensions. It would almost have been kinder, he thought, if they _had_ dropped it during the transfer, but they made it to the presentation area without incident.

Tonks was next, and she and Percy made their transition without incident. Her cake was elegant, if unimaginative, and Remus wondered if she might be the one to go, since her cake really wasn't of quite the caliber he would have expected. Then it was his turn, and he and Hermione managed to successfully move the cake without mussing so much as a lotus leaf. He smiled in relief, knowing that even if he didn't win, at least he had acquitted himself well.

Severus found himself holding his breath while Remus and his assistant moved their cake, and he was almost as relieved when it made the transition safely as if it had been his own. He and Draco moved his cake next; it was heavier than he expected, thus they requested an extra pair of hands, and he was pleased when the cake was safe and sound on the judging table without any problems.

Flint was the last to move his cake, which was the closest to a traditional wedding cake than anyone else's, and naturally, there were flowers. Severus shook his head, knowing the young man would be out of the competition quickly if he didn't show he could do something other than make pretty flowers. Besides, Flint's were nothing compared to Remus' lotuses, and Severus suspected Flint's cake would suffer all the more in comparison. Still, he was hard-pressed to guess which of them would be out. Potter's was a mess, and Flint and Tonks' cakes were boring. Then again, if the clients didn't like his cake, he might be out, but he felt reasonably certain that his was strong enough in technique and execution that the judges wouldn't let him go just yet.

Since the winning cake was to be selected by the couple involved, Bill and Fleur were brought in before the judges made any commentary. Fleur's eyes widened in what Remus thought might be horror as she was confronted with Potter's cake, and she gave a rather weak smile, clutching Bill's arm and urging him on toward Tonks' creation. Tonks smiled at them and answered Fleur's questions about the design, and then the couple approached Remus.

"It's lovely," Fleur said in her softly accented voice, and Remus was gratified with her smile of admiration. She said something to Bill in French before addressing Remus again. "Is it all edible?" she asked. "Even the bits that look like stone?"

"Oh, yes. Everything is edible except for the mechanical bits of the fountain - even the flowers," Remus replied proudly. "The rock is simply colored sugar."

Bill smiled, and then they moved on to Severus' cake, and Remus drew in a breath of relief. They hadn't hated it, he was sure, which meant that hopefully he'd be staying in the competition.

Fleur smiled and nodded when she saw Severus' cake as well, and she bent to examine the detailing on each layer more closely. "Ah, I see afleur-de-lis. How clever! It's very pretty, and I do like the colors."

"It's elegant, but it doesn't look like a frou-frou wedding cake," Bill added, seeming pleased with the results as well.

Draco voiced thanks for both of them, and Severus breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The couple hadn't dismissed his cake as being not at all what they wanted, and at this point, that was all that mattered to him.

Fleur's expression became polite when she saw Flint's cake, and she paused, as if trying to come up with a suitable comment. "It's very... flowery," she said. "A little more traditional than we wanted, however."

After that, the couple went to confer with the judges, leaving the competitors to await the results. Although it was only a matter of minutes, the wait seemed to stretch into infinity before the huddled group finally broke and the judges took their place at their table, sending for each competitor one by one. Potter was called first, and while the rest of them couldn't hear what the judges said to him, the thunderous look on his face when he returned made it clear he wasn't happy with whatever he'd heard. Tonks seemed less unsettled than Potter when she returned from her conversation with the judges, although she didn't appear relaxed either.

Then it was Remus' turn, and he made his way to the judges, feeling a moment of trepidation since his cake really didn't look anything like a wedding cake at all. But he schooled his features to calmness, and he was very pleased that the judges praised his detail work and his incorporation of the fountain as something other than a traditional fountain. Bill and Fleur were full of admiration about the flowers and the waterfall as well, and he smiled, relieved that there hadn't seemed to be anything glaringly wrong with his cake.

"So far so good," he murmured to Severus as he passed him. "Good luck!"

Severus nodded acknowledgment as he headed to face the judges, bracing himself for their criticism, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Bill and Fleur thanked him for paying attention to what they wanted and giving them a cake that was unique, and the judges complimented his attention to detail. McGonagall had a few criticisms, of course, but she didn't verbally flay him, which he counted as a small victory, especially since he doubted Potter had been so lucky as to escape the sharp side of her tongue.

He returned to the group of competitors feeling confidant that he wouldn't be eliminated this round, and as soon as Flint returned from hearing the judges' commentary - which left him looking sour - the judges and Regulus joined the chefs.

"Excellent work," Regulus enthused. "But there can only be one winner, and I'm pleased to announce that Bill and Fleur have chosen the cake they want for their reception." Smiling widely, he gestured to Remus. "Congratulations, Chef Lupin!"

Remus' eyes grew round, and then he grinned, pleased that the couple had liked his design enough to choose it for their wedding. There was a round of congratulations as Remus shook hands with Bill and was hugged enthusiastically by Fleur, and then the studio hands were wheeling Remus' cake away to be delivered to the reception. Remus gave Hermione a hug of gratitude, and the two of them were asked to step aside by the judges, as they readied to render their decision about the loser of the challenge.

"I had hoped that at this level of competition, there would have been more than two cakes which were good enough to earn the approval of the bride and groom," McGonagall said, her frown disapproving. "The challenges are only going to grow more difficult, and unless there is an effort to step up the execution to the next level, it's going to be a very boring competition. But for now, the person who will not be continuing in the competition is Harry Potter; really, Mr. Potter, if that's the best you can produce for a wedding cake where the sky was literally the limit, then perhaps you are in the wrong line of work. Tonks, Marcus... you had best figure out how to be more original and creative, or neither of you will have a chance either."

Remus was surprised at the harshness of the critique, although he was pleased that Severus was spared being ground beneath Minerva's boot. Potter gave his assistant a disgusted look and turned, walking out of the studio without a backward glance.

The judges paid him no mind, and Kingsley spoke up. "We're moving on to the next phase of the competition now," he said, and Remus blinked in surprise, wondering if they would be required to start something at once; it wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but he'd just as soon have a few hours rest before heading back into the kitchen. 

"Don't look so horrified. We're not going to chain you to your worktables," Albus said, his eyes twinkling. "Your next challenge is Extreme Holiday Cakes, and you'll need time to plan and procure the necessary items for construction. But there is a twist this time." He looked at Severus and smiled. "Remember that you were told you'd get a reward for having won yesterday? Well, this next challenge is a team competition. As winner of the first challenge, you get to select your partner from among your three rivals."

Severus was surprised by this turn of events; he'd expected a lot from this competition, but not a team event. It would definitely be a challenge for two people used to leading the way in a competition to share the designing, planning, and execution of a cake; it would be a challenge for _him_ , since he was accustomed to being in charge and having his assistants do as he instructed them. He looked at the other three competitors as if considering his options - and he noticed Tonks staring hopefully at Remus - but really, the choice was easy, and he didn't have to think twice about it.

He moved to stand beside Remus and placed his hand on Remus' shoulder, making it clear whom he had chosen, and he was secretly pleased to see Tonks' face crumple in disappointment at having her hopes of partnering with Remus snatched away.

For his part, Remus was more than delighted that Severus had chosen him; not only would Severus had been his own choice, but he didn't think he could work with either of the others. He turned and smiled at Severus, barely able to resist the temptation to place his hand over Severus' and squeeze it.

"There's more," Kingsley added. "Remus, since you won today's challenge, you get first selection of holidays. So, what will it be? Any national holiday is acceptable, although keep in mind that the challenge is for extreme elements."

Remus considered that, but he decided that his gut instinct was probably the best one, besides also being his own personal favorite. Somehow Severus didn't seem like the Christmasy type, and Valentine's Day was right out, along with Easter and Thanksgiving. No, there was only one choice, and he glanced at Severus, his eyes gleaming. "Halloween," he spoke up. "It's my favorite holiday."

Severus nodded, pleased with Remus' choice. Halloween was his favorite holiday as well, and he was relieved that Remus hadn't chosen something awful and insipid like Valentine's Day. Coming up with ideas for extreme elements for a Halloween cake wouldn't be difficult, and perhaps together, they could make it happen.

Marcus was looking at Tonks as though she were a two-headed monster, while she was eyeing him with much the same expression. "The two of you will have until tomorrow morning to select your holiday," Albus said. "Now all of you are free to go and get started planning and procuring what you need to execute your cakes. Be back at the studio at 7AM on the day after tomorrow, and things will get underway."

"Shall we go get something to eat and start planning?" Remus asked, even more excited than he'd been that morning. Getting to work with Severus was a godsend, since they'd spend time together, and hopefully he could find some way to slip beneath Severus' defenses. 

Severus nodded, finding himself _anticipating_ the up-coming challenge rather than dreading it, despite the requirement of extreme elements. "Can we go back to that restaurant?" he asked, keeping his voice low in case the cameras were still rolling.

"Sure!" Remus said, pleased that Severus had liked it well enough to want to return. He smiled a farewell to the judges and then put a companionable hand on Severus' shoulder and steered him toward the exit. "Dying for moretiramisu? Or was it the alfredo that has earned your unswerving devotion?"

"Both," Severus replied with alacrity as he fell into step beside Remus. "Although I want to try something else on the menu tonight."

"Oh? What's that?" Remus asked, curious as to what had garnered Severus' interest.

"The chicken cacciatore." Severus paused, mentally running down the menu and trying not to be too distracted by the warm weight of Remus' hand on his shoulder as they walked along. "Or maybe one of the vegetarian dishes. I'll decide once we're there."

"Ah, I see," Remus said, then chuckled. "I was wondering for a moment if it was the charms of the suave Francisco you wanted to return for, but I'm glad it's not."

"No!" Severus replied vehemently, shaking his head. Then he realized how strident he sounded, and he shrugged awkwardly. "He isn't my type. I mean, I do like men too, but he's far out of my league."

The confirmation that Severus was gay was no surprise, really, but Remus was quite glad to have it anyway. He gave Severus' shoulder a squeeze, determined to bolster Severus' confidence. "Nonsense!" he said, shaking his head. "There is no such thing as someone being outside of your league. I know you feel self-conscious about your voice, but you shouldn't. You're a talented, desirable person, and I'll pummel anyone who says otherwise."

Severus felt a rush of heat in his face, and he shook his head again, unable to look at Remus as he spoke. "It isn't just my voice. It's my face, my nose, my hair. I'm too skinny, too smart, too stuck up. When I was in school, it was my clothes and my family's financial and social status as well. I've heard it all my life. I know my place," he said, unable to keep bitterness from creeping into his voice, and an old, familiar knot of anger tightened in his chest. "I know better than to hope for more."

Remus stopped in his tracks, looking at Severus somberly, aching for the pain and rejection Severus must have felt, and feeling anger toward the small-minded, evil assholes who had made him feel that way. "You listen to me, Severus Snape," he said, his tone brooking no argument. "Whoever said that to you was _wrong_. Your clothes and your family's financial and social status aren't _you_ , and that's all in your past now anyway, because _you_ are a successful chef who creates beautiful cakes and who has competed on television and won contests against some of the most talented people in his profession. You are not too skinny, I see no evidence of you being stuck up, and there simply isn't such a thing as being too smart! Your face and nose and hair are unique and part of what make you who you are, and I happen to feel that you are a very attractive man. You can hope for anything you want, and you should, because your place is anywhere you damned well want it to be!"

Severus didn't know what to say in response to all that, and so he said nothing. No one other than his parents and his boss had ever exhibited any kind of confidence in him, and even then, they had focused on his abilities. Even the best his mother had been able to say about his appearance was that he was unique, which he considered damning with faint praise. He couldn't believe Remus really did think he was attractive; it was a concept so far beyond his experience that he couldn't wrap his mind around it, and it was easier to believe Remus was simply being nice and supportive instead.

"We'll see," he said neutrally, not wanting to point out all the concrete evidence to the contrary. The last thing he wanted to do was argue with Remus over the state of his self-confidence when they were supposed to be planning a Halloween cake.

"Actually, you'll see," Remus said, not deterred one bit by Severus' obvious evasion. He wanted nothing more than to push Severus up against the nearest wall and kiss him senseless to prove exactly how attractive he thought Severus was, but it was still too soon, and he might wreck everything he was trying to work toward. He would have to be patient, and then when the time was right, he'd show Severus that everyone in his life before hadn't deserved to even breathe the same air Severus did.

They reached the car, and Remus opened the door and held it for Severus. "Clean up, then dinner? And we should have something stronger than wine tonight, I think. We have another victory and our partnership to celebrate, after all. And the mother of all Halloween cakes to design. Or is that the mummy of all Halloween cakes?"

Severus snorted as he climbed into the car. "Fine, something stronger. Anything to wipe out the memory of bad puns."

Remus moved in beside Severus, waiting until the car was moving before giving Severus a bland look. "You compete on a show called _Takes the Cake_ and complain about puns? Fine, I guess I'll have to keep my penchant for low humor in check." Then he grinned. "If I can, which I doubt."

"Hmph." Severus folded his arms and glanced sidelong at Remus, feeling as if something had changed, although he wasn't sure what or how.

But Remus managed to keep his low humor in check on the way back to the hotel, and in less than thirty minutes, they were both cleaned up and back in the lobby. Severus had taken a few more pains with his appearance despite his firm reminders to himself not to be stupid; he was still wearing jeans, but he had chosen to wear a dark green and grey striped pullover instead of a worn old sweater.

He spotted Remus as soon as he stepped off the elevator, and he approached quickly. "Ready?" he asked.

"Definitely," Remus said, taking a moment to look at Severus and admire the way the pullover looked on him. He wasn't quite certain if Severus had intended to dress up a bit more than he had previously, or if he simply was wearing something comfortable, but either way he still thought Severus looked good. For his part, he had intentionally dressed up a bit more, trading in jeans for khaki trousers and a white polo shirt. He also had a thin portfolio with him, so that they could make sketches or take notes about their design. "Lead on,Macduff!"

Severus thought the shirt accented Remus' broad shoulders nicely, but he refused to allow himself the luxury of staring. Instead, he nodded and headed for the exit. "Do you have any preliminary ideas for the cake?" he asked as they set off toward the restaurant. "Something spooky, I assume?"

"Oh, yes - spooky, and cool." Remus grinned. "What do you think about a graveyard with fog?"

"I like it. Perhaps an open grave... or better yet, a grave with an arm poking up." Severus thought about the props Remus had brought. "We could make a monster of some kind with red LED lights for eyes," he suggested.

"That would be great," Remus nodded, liking the idea. "We have to get height, too. What about a haunted house? It would give you a great chance to show off your sugar work, with windows and spiders, maybe?"

"Yes." Severus nodded, warming up to the idea, and his mind was already at work, imagining the possibilities. "I brought my topsy-turvy pans. I have two sets, actually: the ones I used today and square set. What if we make a sheet cake as the base and decorate it as the graveyard and put the haunted house at the top, with the layers serving as a winding road up to the house?"

"Perfect! I can make fondant headstone and statues, and we could use cotton candy for cobwebs." Remus thought about other techniques they could employ. "I could make rice paper bats, too... they'd be light enough to flutter all by themselves if we attached them to the mansion with some wire."

"Excellent." Severus actually smiled at that, pleased by the way their ideas and skills were meshing so well. "We can pave the road with fondant, maybe create road signs that warn of a dead man's curve and such like. What sort of monsters would you like to use? Ghosts, perhaps? Or zombies rising from the graves?"

"Why limit ourselves? We can do both." Remus returned Severus' smile, enjoying himself immensely. "We can wilt rice paper for the ghosts, and use fondant for the zombies. We'll want some red sugar gel for blood, too." He laughed then as an idea occurred to him. "We should do a werewolf me and a vampire you as well!"

"Yes, we should," Severus agreed, amused by the idea. "We can create the werewolf version of you in a tattered chef's coat. Can you think of any way we might light up the house from within? That might be a nice effect, particularly if I can manage to create spooky silhouettes for the windows."

"There are flickering LED tea lights that are battery operated; we can put them inside of the cake without messing with wires," Remus replied. "And I love the idea of the tattered chef's coat." He stopped suddenly, looking around at where they were, and then he laughed. "Do you believe this? We've walked right past the restaurant and didn't even notice!"

Severus stopped and glanced around as well, chagrined to realize Remus was right. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so engrossed in conversation that he'd lost all track of time and place. "So we have," he said wryly. "I suppose it'll be best if we get there and sit down before we do more planning or else there's no telling where we'll end up."

"Definitely - it wouldn't do to walk off a pier and into the ocean," Remus agreed, turning around and setting off back the way they'd come. "I want to get all these down in writing, too, so that we don't forget anything."

Fortunately they'd not gone too far past the restaurant, and within a very short time, they were seated, and Francisco was bringing them water and the wonderful fresh bread. "Wine again tonight?" he asked.

"Actually, I think I'd like a cognac," Remus said, then raised a brow at Severus. "How about you?"

Severus nodded as he reached for a piece of bread, eager to settle in and get back to brainstorming.

"Two cognacs it is," Francisco said, moving off to retrieve them. Remus opened his portfolio, moving aside his napkin and bread plate to make room to write.

"Haunted house, graveyard, ghosts, zombies, red eyes, bats, werewolf and vampire, tea lights," he murmured, writing quickly while everything was still fresh in his mind. "Okay, we have the fog and the lights... we need a moving element, more than just fluttery bats. What do you think, a flying witch? Rocking tombstones? It would be cool if we should make the whole house shriek and shake, but that might be a bit much."

"I wouldn't want to risk stressing the sugar walls," Severus replied. "Is there any way we could rig an open grave with a zombie or a ghost rising up from it?"

"Hmmm...." Remus considered that, so engrossed that he barely noticed Francisco when he returned with their drinks. "It might be doable, if we can find a mechanism that goes up and down. We'd probably have to put a hole in he middle of the sheet cake, then cover it. Oh, you know what? Chocolate crumbles would look just like freshly turned earth! We'd have to be careful with it under the lights, but it would look amazing."

"You mean baking chocolate?" Severus asked, frowning slightly. "Perhaps we could use Oreo crumbs instead. No danger of melting with those." He picked up his glass and sipped the cognac, enjoying its pleasant burn. "If we can't rig the graves, we can try making a flying witch. Oh, we should have some barren trees in the cemetery and perhaps some pumpkins, too."

"Definitely pumpkins - it's hardly Halloween without pumpkins," Remus said, writing Severus' ideas down. He looked at the extensive list they had, then raised his head and smiled at Severus. "This is going to be amazing, I just know it. I'm already dying to know how it's going to look when it's finished, and we haven't even started!"

"If we can pull all this off _and_ make it look good in eight hours, they need to send us straight to the finals," Severus said dryly, but he too was pleased with their plans, and he looked forward to seeing if the finished product would look anything like they had imagined. "I suppose we should do some sketches now to make certain we get the proportions right."

"That makes sense," Remus said. He passed the paper and pen over to Severus, then picked up his drink, taking a sip and giving a hum of enjoyment. "To set scale, why don't we start with what you can do in the sugar? I can make fondant to suit anything, and of course the lights and fog can pretty much work on any size. If we want other moving elements, we just have to factor in the size of the motor."

Thinking about the size of the top layer of his topsy-turvy pans, Severus sketched a quick image and added some estimated size indicators. "I don't want to make the house too big or stability will become an issue," he said, showing Remus what he'd drawn. "With a sheet cake for the foundation and bats at the top, we won't have to make it that tall to meet the height requirement. I think somewhere between eight and ten inches should do it. That will fit on the top layer and maybe leave some room for a tree or some pumpkins."

Remus looked over the sketch and nodded, pleased with Severus' representation. "That works. I can hide any wires under the fondant. What should we do with our assistants? Hermione is very good with detail work, so I would be comfortable setting her up with making headstones and trees." He paused for a moment, considering their options. "If we have two kitchens, perhaps we should set up main construction in one and the detail work in the other, rather than trying to split everything between both or each of us taking half the tasks. That way there would be less hustle and bustle interrupting the people who have to concentrate on fine tasks."

"That sounds like a good plan," Severus said, nodding. "Draco is good with details as well. He could assist her in making trees, headstones, pumpkins, and perhaps a few ghosts and zombies. I'll work on the house and the werewolf and vampire while you decorate the layers and incorporate the extreme elements. Does that sound like a fair division of labor?"

"Works for me!" Remus grinned, pleased and excited. "So tomorrow we shop for things like the flickering tea lights and Oreo crumbs. What time do you want to get started with that?"

"As early as possible." Severus leaned back in his chair and downed the rest of his cognac. "I want us to have plenty of time to go over everything we have and take stock of what we need, so we won't get in a bind if we have a hard time finding something important." He paused, then added, "We could fit in a work-out before or afterward, too."

The thought of watching Severus flex and sweat was quite an incentive, and Remus nodded. "That sounds great. How about working out first, then we can grab some breakfast and make sure we've listed everything we need to get? The stores won't open until nine at the earliest, so if we're up by seven, we ought to be able to acquire everything and be back in time for dinner."

"All right." Severus was pleasantly mellowed from the cognac and feeling prepared for the challenge ahead. He could scarcely believe they had come up with an idea and created a design for their cake so easily and without a fuss. Rather than butt heads, they had come to an accord with ease, and he thought it boded well for their performance during the challenge itself. "Well, that was simple enough. I wonder how Tonks and Flint are doing right now."

Remus chuckled. "You mean have they stopped arguing over whether to do Valentine's Day - Flint's choice, I think, with his omnipresent flowers - or Tonks wanting to do Easter to show off her pastels?" He shook his head. "I'm being catty, I know, but I really am glad that you picked me for a lot of different reasons. Flint... I just don't think he can communicate or compromise with anyone, and Tonks..." He sighed. "I don't think I could concentrate with her widening her eyes at me every five seconds. I don't want to be rude to her, but I'm growing more and more uncomfortable around her."

"Flint is good at what he does, but he only does one or two things," Severus said matter-of-factly. "Tonks has creativity, but not experience. She's still wet behind the ears, and it shows in her work. You're the only one I would consider working with. Besides, I didn't want to spend the day witnessing her going all moon-eyed over you anymore than you did," he added with a disgusted grimace.

Remus tilted his head to one side, daring to hope that Severus might actually be a wee bit jealous over Tonks' attention. "I have begun to wonder if I should wear a 'Gay Pride' shirt just to clue her in," he said with a sigh. "She left a message on my room phone yesterday asking if I wanted to go out for a drink with her, but fortunately, I didn't get it until it was too late to answer."

Severus' frown deepened at that, and he was glad Remus hadn't received the message. He knew better than to think he stood a chance with Remus, but he wanted to enjoy the time he had with someone who could perhaps become a friend instead of having to share it with a silly young woman without a working gay-dar.

"It might take something drastic for her to get the message," he replied sourly.

Remus couldn't help chuckling, the expression on Severus' face so adorably cranky that Remus wanted to lean across the table and kiss him breathless. "Perhaps it will at that," he drawled, then gave Severus a wide eyed, innocent look. "If you happen to think of anything that might work, I'm game. Perhaps if she caught us kissing backstage?"

Severus stared back at him, equally wide-eyed but for a different reason. "Well, that would certainly get the message across," he said, feeling an odd little flutter in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Remus kissing him, even if it was only to get Tonks to back off.

The fact that Severus hadn't immediately demurred gave Remus hope, and he decided to press just a little more. "I'd appreciate it," he said, leaning across the table to touch Severus' hand. "Of course, I don't even know if you're out, so I don't want to push you into doing something you aren't comfortable with."

"I'm not officially out," Severus replied with a little shrug. "My preferences have been a non-issue for so long, I haven't bothered clarifying one way or another, and no one has cared enough to ask. I don't care if people know I'm gay. It isn't going to have any impact on my social life one way or another, and my family already knows."

"Well, then, if circumstances arise and you wouldn't mind, I'd be very, very grateful." Remus gave Severus' hand a squeeze, the thought of being able to kiss Severus giving him a tingle far more pleasant than the cognac. He noticed Francisco approaching, but he didn't move his hand, wanting Severus to see that he wasn't in any way bothered by anyone getting the impression they were on a date. "Ah, it seems that we're going to be forced to order. Would you like another cognac, or is it time to switch to wine?"

"Wine," Severus replied quietly, keeping his voice low so Fransisco wouldn't hear him. He was surprised Remus hadn't drawn his hand back, and he wondered if he ought to do it himself, but Remus' fingers were warm, and the press of Remus' hand on his was making his skin tingle pleasantly. It had been a long time since he'd felt anything like it, and he didn't want to give it up so soon, thus he kept his hand where it was instead of snatching it away when the waiter was at their table. It was a little awkward, since he thought the waiter would probably get the wrong idea about them, but his time here was limited, and he reminded himself that it didn't matter what a stranger in a strange city thought.

Remus ordered the wine, then waited for Francisco to leave before reluctantly drawing back, needing both hands to pick up the menu. "Well, then let's decide what we want to eat. We've done so well in our planning, we can afford to indulge and relax; we can even talk about something other than baking, if you'd like!"

Severus blinked, drawing a blank about what they could talk about other than baking. He wasn't exactly a scintillating conversationalist, and he was momentarily at a loss. "Like what?" he asked at last.

"Anything, really," Remus said. "You mentioned wanting your own shop. Do you have a plan to get there? What movies do you like? Or music? Have you traveled very much, or do you even want to travel?" He smiled. "There's more to you than baking, I know it. I like you, Severus. Anything you want to talk about is fine with me."

Severus wasn't quite sure how to respond to that; he wasn't accustomed to people outside his family being interested in _him_ rather than in his skills in the kitchen, much less liking him or assuming there was more to him than that. In the end, he took refuge in choosing one of Remus' questions to answer.

"I like horror movies," he said at last. "The classics, not these new slice-and-dice gore fests. Science fiction, action-adventure. Anything along those lines. What about you?"

"Ah, a man after my own heart!" Remus replied. "I love all those types, too. One of the few hings that will pull me away from the kitchen is the excuse to eat over-salted popcorn and watch space battles or superheroes triumphing over evil. It seems we have even more in common than I suspected." He smiled wryly. "I wish this competition wasn't over so soon. I like spending time with you, and I'm not looking forward to it all being over and us going our separate ways."

"Really?" The question was out of Severus' mouth before he could squelch it, and he looked away, abashed. "I've enjoyed it, too," he admitted quietly.

"I'm glad." Reaching out, Remus placed his hand over Severus' again. "Don't sell yourself short, Severus; you've got more going for you than you think, believe me. I count myself very lucky to have met you, and even if I lose this competition, I consider that I've already gained a great deal."

"True," Severus agreed before adding, "But I still want to win, so don't expect me to hold back when it comes to kicking your ass in the final two rounds."

Remus laughed at that, unable to help himself. He thought he could spend the rest of his life listening to Severus, delighting in his dry wit and snark. He was on the verge of falling, and falling hard, but the thought didn't bother him one bit; the only obstacle in his way was convincing Severus to take a chance on him. For now, however, he just wanted to enjoy the evening in Severus' compan, and do everything he could to work his way beneath Severus' defenses until Severus felt the same way about him. "Trust me, Severus, I wouldn't want it any other way."


	4. Chapter 4

Remus woke on the morning of the team competition feeling alert and excited, throwing back the covers and practically sprinting to the bathroom. He wasn't normally such a morning person, but the thought of spending time with Severus was enough to spur him into immediate action.

It didn't take long for him to shower and dress, although he spent a few minutes extra taking pains to make sure he looked his best. Things with Severus had gone very well the previous day, from their morning work out to the shopping. They'd been in complete accord over all their purchases, even finishing up in time to enjoy a long, leisurely dinner and drinks, getting to know each other a bit better in an easy, unstressful way. Remus felt that he was making progress, and hopefully, the time they spent together creating their cake would draw them even closer and give Remus an opportunity to work on boosting Severus' confidence in his desirability.

A knock on the door pulled him away from his preparations, and he opened his door to find Hermione on the other side. "I have everything loaded up, so I'm heading to the studio," she informed him, giving him a quick but preoccupied smile. "Draco and I will have things set up by the time you arrive, with the division of tasks you and Chef Snape specified. Is there anything you need before I go?"

"No, I think you have it all," Remus said, smiling at her gratefully. "Thank you, Hermione; I don't know what I'd do without you!"

"It's what I love to do," she said, then gave him a playful salute before turning and heading off down the hallway. Remus took a moment to make sure he had everything, then set off toward Severus' room, pausing to draw in a deep breath before knocking.

Severus was already up and dressed in his usual competition garb: black chef's coat, loose black drawstring pants, and black Crocs with thick, comfortable socks. A little monochromatic, but it assured he would be comfortable during the long hours ahead, not constricted by his clothing. He had just finished packing a few last minute supplies when he heard the knock, and he went to answer it quickly.

"Come in," he said, standing aside so Remus could enter the room. "I'm almost ready."

Remus didn't hesitate to step inside, giving Severus a quick, admiring once-over. They made an interest contrast, Severus all in black and he all in white, but he thought it worked well. "Hermione and Draco are heading over to the studio to get the set up done," he said, leaning back against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "I'm glad the two of them seemed to like the plans we came up with, even though it means they have to rearrange both kitchens."

"Draco didn't seem to mind the prospect of working closely with your assistant," Severus said dryly as he closed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He consulted his checklist to make certain he hadn't missed anything, and, satisfied that he had everything he needed and nothing vital was being left behind, he moved to join Remus. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Remus agreed, then opened the door and held it for Severus. "Hopefully we'll get there before Tonks does, and she won't be lying in wait for me."

"If she is, well... I suppose we can put your plan into action," Severus replied, feeling a bit awkward about being so forward, and he covered his embarrassment by hurrying out the door, hoping Remus didn't realize he was ridiculously eager and hopeful that they would have to resort to the kissing ruse to fend off Tonks.

"That would work," Remus said, nodding slightly. Inside he was mentally pumping his fist and shouting "Yes!", but he could hardly let Severus know that. He started toward the elevators. "Hopefully it would be enough to give her the message, but as dense as she's seemed, we might have to resort to even more drastic measures!"

Severus cast a wide-eyed glance over his shoulder at Remus. "I shudder to think what _that_ would be. There are public decency laws, you know."

"I'm game if you are," Remus replied, keeping his tone light and amused, even though he'd enjoy being indecent with Severus a great deal. "But we can cross that bridge when and if we come to it, I suppose." The elevator arrived, and he gestured for Severus to enter. "I never thought when I accepted the offer to compete that I ought to study up on law as well as baking."

Severus stepped onto the elevator and held the doors open until Remus was on as well. "Hopefully, it won't be an issue," he said. "It depends on how convincing the kiss is, I suppose. The more realistic it looks, the more likely she is to realize she needs to get her gay-dar checked."

"Then I guess we'll have to make it very convincing," Remus said. He looked at Severus, wondering if his comment was as much of an invitation as it sounded. He'd certainly like to think that it was, but he didn't think that asking was quite the right thing to do, and simply kissing Severus, tempting though it was, might derail the train completely. Still, he wasn't going to let it go completely unremarked on. "Somehow, I doubt that will be much of a problem."

Severus glanced sidelong at him as the elevator carried them down to the lobby, trying to decide what to make of that remark. Did Remus mean it wouldn't be a problem because Remus himself was a good actor or did he mean... something else? Severus wasn't about to make a fool of himself by asking, however, and so he simply nodded and made a non-committal noise.

The elevator let them out on the first floor, and within minutes, they were in the car and on their way to the studio. Remus pulled out his notebook and pointed out some tiny adjustments he'd made to the design to accommodate the extreme elements, and conversation about the cake took up the rest of the ride to their destination. They arrived at the studio with plenty of time to spare, but to Remus' surprise - and secret delight - Tonks had gotten there first, and she was hanging about in the backstage area, craning her neck and obviously looking for someone - probably him.

"She's already here," he said to Severus, looking at him and raising a brow. "Still game?"

A throng of butterflies the size of grapefruits suddenly took up residence in Severus' stomach, and he was both amused and annoyed with himself for being more nervous over the prospect of kissing Remus than he was about the competition. "Yes, I'm game," he replied staunchly, determined to follow through. He just hoped he didn't make himself look foolish; he hadn't kissed anyone in a long time, and his experience was so limited as to be almost non-existent. "Just don't expect too much," he said. "Rusty doesn't begin to cover it when it comes to my skills in this area."

"Enthusiasm makes up for so many things," Remus replied, his heart pounding in anticipation. Tonks spotted them, and he could see her approaching, so he looked at Severus with a playful smile. "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit, I promise."

Lifting his hands, Remus framed Severus' face, his thumbs caressing Severus' cheekbones for a moment before he moved closer, pressing his lips to Severus' in a light, experimental kiss. A jolt of electricity seemed to flow through him at the contact, and all thoughts of anyone else in the world were pushed from his mind as he closed his eyes and claimed Severus' mouth firmly, wanting more than just a taste.

Severus' dark eyes flew open wide at the first electric touch of Remus' lips against his; he hadn't expected to feel the heat of such light, simple contact to scorch him all the way down to his toes, but before he had a chance to recover from that, Remus had come back for more, claiming his mouth and coaxing his lips apart. With Remus firmly in charge of the kiss, Severus' concerns about his own skills diminished, and he closed his eyes and rested his hands at Remus' waist, parting his lips and letting Remus take what he wanted, explosions of heat and need detonating in the pit of his stomach and radiating throughout the rest of his body.

Remus felt Severus' hands on him, and he gave a low growl of approval. Severus was delicious, instantly addictive, his surrender awakening something dark and possessive in Remus that he'd never felt before. Severus was _his_ , and he deepened the kiss, exploring Severus' mouth hungrily, wanting to leave Severus and everyone else who might be watching with no doubt as to whom Severus belonged.

There was a choked off sound of shock from somewhere behind him, but Remus paid it no mind, more interested in trying to make Severus feel as much pleasure in the kiss as he did than in the reaction of anyone else around.

Severus was chagrined to realize the low moans he heard were coming from _him_ , but he couldn't help himself, not when Remus' kiss was making his knees turn to water; he slid his arms around Remus' waist and pressed closer, wishing this wasn't an act for Tonks' sake but determined to enjoy it while he could. The memory of this kiss would no doubt sustain him through many long, empty nights to come.

The sensation of Severus pressing closer and the sound of his moans were exactly what Remus wanted. He moved his hands, sliding them around Severus' neck and combing his fingers through Severus' hair, relishing the slide of the silken strands between his fingers. At last, the need to breathe forced him to pull back with regret, but he didn't loosen his grip on Severus one bit, not willing to lose contact just yet. 

Severus licked his lips as he tried to catch his breath, and he gazed at Remus, wide-eyed. "That was pretty convincing, I'd say," he murmured, feeling as if he ought to move away but reluctant to do so yet.

For a moment, Remus was confused. "Convince... oh. Tonks, right," he said, recovering himself enough to recall why they were supposedly kissing in he first place. He drew in a deep breath, still not willing to move away. "If she thinks I'm straight after that, she's out of her mind."

Severus was momentarily confused as well when it appeared Remus had forgotten why they had kissed in the first place; he doubted he had the skill to drive all thoughts of everything else out of Remus' mind - although Remus certainly had the power to do that to _him_! "I don't think anyone who saw that could persist in believing either of us is straight," he said. "It would take delusion of epic levels."

Even though he didn't care about what Tonks thought - in fact, he was almost grateful to her for providing him the opportunity to kiss Severus at last - Remus glanced behind him, not surprised to see that they were alone. "I suspect we succeeded beyond our best hopes." He chuckled warmly, tightening his arms around Severus. "And we didn't even strain the public decency laws, so you needn't worry."

"Good. I would hate to default on the competition because of being arrested," Severus said dryly. As much as he rather liked the feel of Remus' arms around him, he wasn't certain why Remus was persisting when Tonks was long gone. Not to mention they had a competition to prepare for, he thought, and that galvanized him into action. "I suppose we'd better get ready. We have a cake to make," he added, drawing away from the embrace at last.

"Oh, right," Remus said, releasing Severus reluctantly. He stepped back, admiring the flush on Severus' cheeks and the pinkness of his lips, part of him smugly satisfied to have been the one to have put them there. Straightening his jacket, he turned toward the front of the studio. "Hopefully Draco and Hermione have everything set up for us now."

"No doubt they do," Severus murmured, smoothing his hands down the front of his own jacket. He glanced sidelong at Remus, feeling oddly shy after sharing such an intense embrace; part of him tried to be sensible and remember it had been only an act, but part of him wished it had been real - and that there was the possibility of it happening again. With a sigh, he headed into the studio for all the pre-taping preparation and to gear himself up for the grueling competition ahead.

Severus was correct about their assistants being ready, but Hermione looked annoyed as they approached. "Some of the crew here are incredibly clumsy," she said, pointing toward the refrigerator in Remus' kitchen. "One of them must have tripped over the cords and unplugged it last night, but we noticed when we were swapping around the eggs, so I was able to get the studio to replace things."

"That's good," Remus said, relieved that such a mistake had been discovered before it could derail their preparation in the middle of the competition. 

"Good catch." Severus gave them an approving nod. "That could have been disastrous."

"We also found that a few things were moved around when they cleaned up," Hermione continued, smiling in pleasure at their gratitude. "Sugar and salt and a few other containers, but everything is all in readiness for you. Draco and I have things for detail work set up in one kitchen and the items for construction all ready in the other. So unless you have any last minute preparations, we're all ready."

"Great work," Remus replied, then turned to Severus. "I suppose we should hit hair and makeup, but I'm pretty comfortable that we're ready to begin. What about you?"

Comfortable wasn't the word Severus would have chosen, given the residual arousal he felt after that kiss, but he nodded nonetheless. "I think we're about as prepared as we can be," he replied. A glance over at their competitors showed that Tonks was studiously avoiding eye contact with either of them, and Flint's expression was stormy. "Not so sure about _them_ , though."

"Well, they had plenty of time to work things out and get prepared, just as we did," Remus said, putting a hand on Severus' shoulder companionably as they headed toward the green room area. Their kiss had left his breathless and excited and yearning for more, but hopeful as well; Severus' response to it had been more than Remus could have dreamed, and he was sure now that he could convince Severus that they were right for each other. 

It took only a few minutes for the crew to get them both ready, and then they were back in their kitchens, the cameras rolling as Regulus introduced them and described the challenge. At the stroke of eight, they were told to begin, and with precision that made it seem as though they had been working together for years, he and Severus set about constructing their cake.

Remus began rolling out fondant. "Severus, what do you think of this color for the base?" he asked. "Dark enough yet?"

Severus shook his head, refusing to break his silence now that the cameras were rolling; Draco was accustomed to it, and they had worked out a system of communication, and hopefully, Remus would be able to cope as well. Now that they were at work, he was able to put the kiss out of his mind and focus on the task at hand; Remus was no longer the man to whom he was attracted, but his partner in the kitchen, and he was intent on beginning his work on the haunted house, which would require all his concentration.

He began casting the walls, creating each one separately and then affixing them together with utmost care. This piece was one of his most detailed and ambitions creations to date, and he wanted it to be perfect, not only so they would win the round, but also because he didn't want to let Remus down. This cake was their vision, their creation, and he was determined to make it come perfectly to life.

After adjusting the base color of the fondant to his satisfaction, Remus turned his attention to the cooling layers of cake and began to assemble the extreme elements. He hollowed out the places for the fog maker and for the small motor which would animate two corpses rising from their graves, testing both to make sure everything was working because there would be no way to fix them once the fondant was draped. He glanced into the other kitchen and asked for an update from Draco and Hermione about the detail elements, pleased when they reported that things were proceeding on schedule.

From over in Tonks' kitchen, however, he heard the sound of raised voices in a heated argument, and he frowned, looking over to see what the problem was. Tonks and Marcus were both pointing at a sheet of pink fondant, both apparently displeased with the color. Remus shook his head and returned to his own work; he was fortunate that Severus had chosen him as a partner in more ways than the obvious one. 

The Halloween cake began to take form as Remus draped fondant and placed the topsy-turvy layers for the mountain that would show off Severus' haunted house. He spared a moment to watch Severus at work, admiring the concentration and skill Severus displayed. "Everything's ready when you are," he said quietly, then set about making the rice paper bats which would grace the top of the mansion.

Severus nodded absently, not taking his eyes off the structure he was building. Fortunately, he had steady hands, and Remus moved around him with practiced ease, not causing any bumps or wobbles that might have spelled disaster for the sugar-work building. He had made the walls as thick and sturdy as he could, but he didn't want to take any chances in finding out how well they would withstand being jostled.

Once the house was finished, he stepped back to study it with a critical eye. It was black with little windows made of thin, clear sugar and a pointed roof; he had managed to create a door that was propped open and a chimney to which Remus could fasten the wires for the bats. Reaching out, he tapped Remus' arm to get his attention and gestured to the house to get his opinion on the end results.

Remus turned at Severus' touch and smiled as he took in the sight of the mansion. "It looks fantastic," he said approvingly. "I've put the tea lights in place, so all we have to do is turn them on before you put the mansion on top of them. Do you need any help moving it?"

Severus shook his head and gestured to the tea lights, and then he prepared to lift and move the little house, waiting until the lights were on to begin.

Moving quickly, Remus turned on the lights and then stepped back out of the way. "All yours," he said, standing by to offer any assistance Severus might need.

Slowly and carefully, Severus picked up the little house and carried it over to the cake. A sudden loud crash from the other kitchen startled him and made his hands wobble a bit, but he kept hold of the house; when he glared over at the other team, he saw Flint glowering at him, and for a moment, he wondered if Flint had made the noise on purpose in an attempt to make him drop the house. If that had happened, they would have lost a crucial element of their cake, and he wouldn't have had time to make another one; even if he managed to make the structure, he wouldn't be able to recreate the painstaking detail of the first one.

He glowered back and continued, placing the structure on top of the cake with careful precision; then he stepped back and glanced at Remus, smiling slightly, one eyebrow cocked as if to say, "Well?"

Remus had been surprised when the crash happened, and he looked over to see Flint looking defiant. It was almost as though Flint had done it on purpose, and Remus matched Severus' glare, not at all happy with the thought that their competitors might be trying to win by causing them to ruin elements of their cake.

Fortunately Severus was as deft as he was talented, and the mansion was soon sitting securely where it belonged, looking exactly as they had envisioned it. "Perfect," he said, patting Severus on the back in approval. "The crowning glory. I've finished the bats, and I'll let you place them, since I don't want to risk touching that mansion! I'll get the undead rising from their graves, and then we can start on all the detail work." He gestured to the little black bats on their wires, which he had poked into a piece of florists foam to hold them upright. 

Nodding, Severus smiled slightly, glad that Remus approved of his work, and then he reached for each bat, inserting one at a time into the chimney and securing the wire with a special glue, the same type he'd used to affix the walls and roof. Soon, a flurry of bats bobbed over the house, and Severus stopped fussing over it, satisfied enough to stop for now and get to work on the vampire and werewolf. He sculpted the werewolf carefully, giving it fur the same color of Remus' hair and eyes the color of Remus' as well, and he dressed it in a set of tattered chef's whites; he made the vampire look like himself, giving the figure a greenish cast to its skin, black evening wear, and tiny fangs, and he slicked its dark hair back.

While Severus was engrossed in fondant work, Remus placed the figures Hermione had made into the graves, then tested the mechanism, pleased that it worked. He sprinkled the crumbled Oreo cookies atop the figures carefully, then more around the graves themselves. Draco and Hermione's gravestones and trees were finished, and while they set them in place, Remus got started on the fondant pumpkins, giving each of them a different facial expression. He mounted these atop more of the flickering tea light LEDs, then covered the bases in more fondant before moving them into place near the mansion.

Stepping back to admire the effects, he moved close to Severus and dropped his voice. "It looks just like I imagined," he said, his tone one of pleasure and satisfaction. He glanced down at Severus' figurines and chuckled as he noticed the close resemblance Severus had managed even on such a small scale. "I want those as well, you know. They're far too perfect to be separated."

Severus gave a derisive snort and rolled his eyes at that, but he nodded agreement anyway; if Remus wanted the figurines, he could have them. Severus rolled out some fondant to create a black cape with red lining for the vampire and a chef's hat for the werewolf as finishing touches, wanting everything to be as detailed as they could make it.

While Severus finished up, Remus accepted a piping bag from Hermione and began to write on the tombstones. Each of the judges got one of their own, plus Sybil and Harry. He had intended to make the two zombies Marcus and Tonks, but he thought that might be a bit too mean after forcing Tonks to witness him kissing Severus, so they became Draco and Hermione instead - which earned him rolled eyes from his long-suffering assistant. 

Since they had a bit more time than he'd thought, he used black icing to pipe a wrought-iron fence around the base of the sheet cake. "There," he said, stepping back and nodding. "Once you place the figures, Severus, I think we're done!"

A glance at the clock showed that they had mere minutes to spare, and Severus wasted no time in carefully placing the figures on the top layer in front of the mansion, and then he stepped back with a sigh of relief, surveying their work with satisfaction.

Remus slung an arm around Severus' shoulders, giving him a companionable hug as they looked over the cake. "Great work," he murmured close to Severus' ear. "We're as great of a team as I'd thought we'd be."

Whether it was fatigue or relief at being finished that lowered his inhibitions, Severus didn't know, but he found himself sliding one arm around Remus' waist in return and nodding his agreement. They worked well together, falling into a comfortable partnership as easily as if they'd been together for years instead of days, and he was proud of their work.

"Time's up!" Regulus announced, and Remus released Severus reluctantly, since they would now be expected to move their cake. 

"Let's hope there aren't any more ill-timed crashes," he said, his voice pitched for Severus' ears alone. "It's going to take all four of us to lift this monster."

He looked over at the cake Marcus and Tonks had produced. He'd not paid attention after hearing the other team fighting, but he'd gotten the impression from the shade of the fondant that they were going to do Valentine's Day. He was wrong, however; they'd chosen Christmas, but it wasn't a Christmas like anything Remus had ever imagined. The elements didn't mesh at all, and it was obvious that the two chefs had simply put their own elements on in their own style, without any regard to making a consistent whole. Tonks had obviously been the creator of the pastel toys and train circling the bottom of the Christmas tree which was their central figure, but her cartoon-like representations managed to clash with the almost Baroque looking tree that had Marcus' name all over it. It looked rather like the Island of Misfit Toys around the base of a tree by Rembrandt, while the lights which were their extreme element were too bright and modern set among the stylized branches.

"Oh, my," he said, his eyes wide. "I don't know if they intended it to look like that!"

Severus could scarcely believe that was a serious effort either, and if he hadn't known they were in a competition, he would have thought it was a joke. He shook his head in disbelief, feeling certain their cake would be the winner. He couldn't imagine any other outcome, which meant Flint and Tonks would be up for elimination, and he thought they were both equally deserving to go, if this was the best they could do.

Remus thought it might almost be a blessing if Tonks and Marcus dropped their cake, but they managed to get it out to the display area without incident, though neither of them looked at all pleased with their creation. Then it was his and Severus' turn to move their cake, and the four members of their team each took a corner, lifting on Remus' count and transferring the heavy cake to its final resting place.

Unsurprisingly, when the judging began, Marcus and Tonks' cake was ripped to shreds.

"It's obvious that you failed to communicate at all," McGonagall said, her tone full of disapproval. "If you want to continue competing at this level, you have to learn to share ideas. You also can't please your customers if all you wish to do is create your own ideas instead of helping them to realize theirs."

"I agree with Minerva," Albus said, shaking his head sadly. "There are good elements here, but they clash badly and show a complete lack of cohesion."

"Amateurish," was Kingsley's observation.

"Ouch," Remus said quietly, then stepped back as the judges approached them.

"Who came up with the design for this cake?" Kingsley asked as he moved toward their table and bent to inspect the cake closely, chuckling when he saw the headstone with his name on it.

Severus gestured back and forth between himself and Remus, and McGonagall's eyebrows climbed. "You had equal input?" she asked, and he nodded an affirmation. "This wasn't one person's idea, then?" she persisted, and he shook his head. "Well, I'm impressed," she admitted grudgingly. "The design is so cohesive, I find myself hard-pressed to believe you both contributed equally to it."

"We did," Remus spoke up, pleased that McGonagall was impressed. "We got together that first night and brainstormed, and our ideas just built off of each other. Severus did the mansion, because his sugar work is so fantastic, and I handled the extreme elements. All four of us worked on the fondant, and we each contributed to the details."

"I love it!" Albus said, smiling with obvious delight as the zombies rose and then sank back into their graves, while the fog curled around the base of the mansion, making the flickering lights look eerie indeed. "You've managed to incorporate your elements seamlessly, and the effect is perfect!"

"A very _professional_ effort," Kingsley agreed, looking over at Tonks and Marcus with a frown that made Tonks flinch and Marcus clench his fists.

"Thank you," Remus replied, placing his hand on Severus' shoulder again and standing proudly by his side. "From both of us."

Severus drew himself up straighter, pleased and proud as well, and he nodded agreement. The judges spent a moment longer examining the cake, seeming to take in all the details, and then they withdrew for a brief conference. They didn't have to deliberate nearly as long as they did on the previous two rounds, and when they returned, McGonagall stepped forward.

"I doubt it will be of any surprise to the four of you when we say that the Halloween cake by Chef Lupin and Chef Snape is the clear winner of this round," she said briskly. "That means the two of you will move on to the next round of the competition. Chef Flint, Chef Tonks, the two of you will participate in a quick bake-off right now to determine which of you will remain in the competition."

"We won!" Remus wasn't surprised, but he was still delighted with the result, and he grinned at Severus happily. "We're in the finals! Congratulations, partner. It was well deserved!"

Just then, Regulus came over to let them know that they could leave the studio if they wanted to, since the rest of the competition for the day would be focused on the showdown between Flint and Tonks. Severus wasn't particularly interested in lingering; they would find out who was in the finals with them soon enough. Instead, he returned to their cake and carefully removed the vampire and werewolf, and he offered them to Remus.

Remus chuckled as Severus brought him the figures, delighted at the gesture. "Thank you," he said, looking again at the marvelous detail Severus had worked into both figures. "These will have place of honor in my collection. You really are amazing."

It took only a moment to scrounge up a box and wrapping for the figures, and then Remus returned to Severus' side. "So, would you like to go and get something to eat?" he asked, giving Severus a wry smile. "Unless you're tired of me monopolizing your time, that is. I fully understand if you're ready for a break from all-Lupin, all the time."

Severus shook his head, but he waited until they were out of the studio and headed for the car waiting to take them back to the hotel before he elaborated. "I don't want a break," he said, tamping down the apprehension he felt about voicing his thoughts. "I've enjoyed talking to you. In fact..." He glanced away, awkward and a little uncertain. "I'd like to keep in touch after all this is over."

"Really? That's great!" Remus said, overjoyed that Severus wasn't thinking about pushing him away and going back to his solitary existence. "I was hoping you'd feel that way - about both things, I mean, but especially about keeping in touch afterward. I've enjoyed our time together more than you know, and I want more of it."

Severus could scarcely believe _anyone_ was saying something like that to him, much less Remus, and he smiled slightly, unable to hide his pleasure - not to mention his relief that his overture hadn't been soundly rejected. "Me too," he said quietly, feeling a little safer in making such admissions now that Remus had said it first. "So... dinner? Shall we try a new restaurant tonight?"

They reached the car, and Remus waited until they were settled and on their way before answering. "That sounds good. Do you like Chinese or Mexican? Or would you prefer pub fare?" he asked, curious as to what else Severus liked. "I don't have any recommendations, really, but we could ask the concierge at the hotel. I'm not picky about what we have, so long as I don't have to cover it in fondant!"

"I'm not picky either, just hungry," Severus replied, leaning back against the car seat. He was grateful that they had won, not only because it meant they would both remain in the competition, but also because it meant he didn't have to create yet another cake when he was already exhausted from eight hours of intense work on the first one.

"Well, in that case... what do you think about room service?" Remus asked, tilting his head to one side. "We could order, then shower, and by the time we're ready, the food will be there and we won't have to decide on a place or worry about getting there."

"Sounds good to me," Severus agreed readily. After three competitions so close together, he was starting to feel the strain, and a night in that didn't involve walking or exerting himself to go anywhere sounded ideal. "Your room or mine?"

"Why don't you come to my room? I have my laptop there and some movies if we get bored and want to watch something. Don't bother to dress up, either. I think comfort is the word of the day, don't you?" Remus grinned, looking forward to having time with Severus where they weren't either talking about cakes or worrying about cakes.

"All right." Severus nodded, pleased by the prospect of spending an evening in comfort - and in Remus' company. "Are you going to place the order? I don't mind if you order something for me. Like I said, I'm not picky, and at this point, anything sounds good."

"Sure, I can do that," Remus replied. "I'll get a couple of things, and we can sample them. And dessert, too. If I wasn't dying for something that _isn't_ sweet, I'd be tempted to have that first!" 

"You seem to have a sweet tooth," Severus noted with amusement. "But I'm guessing cake isn't on the menu tonight."

"Oh, God no," Remus replied, making a face. "I'd like anything _except_ cake! But yes, I do have a sweet tooth, although I also like a bit of spice mixed in with it." He recalled the way that Severus tasted spicy, and he wanted very much to kiss him again. "How about you?"

"No cake," Severus replied firmly. "But a little spice is good. It's even better when you combine the two. I've had dark chocolate with chile pepper in it, which is surprisingly good."

Remus' mouth watered at Severus' description. "Oh, that sounds fantastic!" he said, thinking that Severus' taste was rather like that, too. "I'll definitely have to try it - although I doubt it could compete with my favorite flavor." He grinned playfully, not about to tell Severus what that flavor was... yet.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the trip went by quickly, and once they arrived at the hotel, Severus hurried up to his room to shower and change clothes. He took Remus' instructions to heart, choosing black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt to wear instead of jeans and a sweater, and as soon as he was dressed, he headed to Remus' room, drawing in a deep, steadying breath before knocking.

It had taken a few minutes for Remus to get everything ordered for their meal, and then he rushed into the shower, needing it after such an intense day of baking. He selected grey sweatpants for comfort, and he'd just grabbed out a white tank top when there was a knock on the door. He doubted it would be the food this quickly, which left only one possibility, and he chuckled with evil amusement as he walked to the door, keeping his shirt in one hand and mussing his damp hair with the other, wondering if Severus would react to him half-naked or be totally immune.

"Just a second," he said, unfastening the lock and opening the door. "Oh, you were quick! Come on in. I've got the food ordered, and I only just got out of the shower."

Severus froze, unable to do anything but stare at Remus, shirtless and damp, his fair skin still flushed from the heat of the shower. It was one of the most tantalizing things Severus had ever seen, and he longed to reach out and touch, even to taste, but he knew that was impossible. He darted his gaze away and licked his lips as he tried to ignore the demands of his wayward libido.

"Sorry," he murmured. "I didn't want to keep you waiting."

"Oh, it's not a problem," Remus said easily, thinking that the way Severus licked his lips and looked away was rather promising. "Have a seat. I'm almost ready anyway." He pulled the tank top over his head, then walked toward the bathroom. "I ordered wine with dinner, but there are sodas in the fridge, if you'd like one. Make yourself at home. I think we've both earned some relaxation, don't you?"

Privately, Severus wasn't sure how he was supposed to relax with Remus walking around, looking like _that_ , but he nodded and took a seat on the small couch. The rooms provided by the network were more spacious than a normal hotel room with a dining and sitting area, although they weren't as big as a suite, so the king sized bed was right there in the room, and Severus tried valiantly to ignore it.

Remus ran a comb through his hair and then came back into the room, not bothering with socks or shoes. He saw that Severus had moved to the sofa, and he was about to join him when there was another knock on the door.

"And that would be dinner," he said, pleased at the speed with which it had arrived. He moved to the door again, but didn't allow the waiter inside; instead he signed for the meal, added a generous tip, then wheeled the cart into the room himself before hanging the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and locking it for good measure. 

"There, now we don't have to worry about being bothered while we take a well deserved break." Smiling, Remus gestured to the covered dishes. "You have your choice: we can eat at the table like civilized people or be decadent hedonists and lounge on the sofa. What is your preference, oh co-winner?"

"Well, we're already here." Severus gestured to the sofa and the coffee table in front of it. "You said you wanted the evening to be comfortable and casual, right?"

"Oh, yes - and you're a man after my own heart. I was hoping you wouldn't mind informal," Remus said. He opened the bottle of wine, pouring them each a glass before handing one to Severus and setting the bottle on the coffee table within easy reach. "Now, let's see... I ordered some appetizers to start: miniature chicken egg rolls, some boneless wings, and some veggies, in case you're wanting something green. Then for the main courses, I got hearty beef stew and a chicken souvlaki. A bizarre mixture of nationalities, I know, but Julia Child isn't dining here tonight. There are crusty rolls and even some pita with tatziki, so we don't lack for bread." 

Remus uncovered the dishes as he spoke and carried them to the coffee table, setting everything within easy reach. There were serving spoons and plates for them to dish up what they wanted, and Remus handed Severus silverware and a napkin before moving to the other end of the sofa and settling himself down with a pleased sigh. "Go on, then, serve yourself whatever you'd like - unless I managed to not get anything you're willing to eat!"

Severus took off his shoes and tucked his feet up beneath him, getting comfortable before serving himself a sampling of each appetizer. "Everything looks good," he said, nibbling a carrot stick. "I'm willing to eat everything you ordered."

"Whew! That's a relief," Remus said, chuckling as he sipped his wine, glad that he'd managed to get the meal right. He selected some of the appetizers as well, then leaned back on the sofa, biting into a crisp eggroll and enjoying the flavor. "Mmm, this is pretty good - either that or I was starving to death. Maybe a bit of both. But I do think this is better than going out and trying to find a place to eat; any time I can eat barefoot I consider a pretty good time."

Severus inadvertently flicked his gaze to Remus' bare feet, admiring the sight before looking away again, determined not to moon after what he couldn't have. That would make him as foolish as Tonks! "I'm glad to stay in rather than traipse around a strange city in search of food," he agreed, focusing on his egg rolls to distract himself from the delectable temptation Remus presented.

"So I assume you're a homebody like me." Remus sipped more wine, then topped off both of their glasses, thinking that getting Severus relaxed wouldn't be a bad thing. "I'm not much into bright lights and big crowds, and I'm not wild out eating out alone. Sometimes I go out with a couple of friends from my sous chef days, but mostly I stay home, reading or watching movies."

Severus nodded as he sipped his wine. "I'm not a party animal," he said, irony lacing his voice. "I don't enjoy going out alone either, so I spend my time off reading, trying new recipes, or watching movies as well. I spend too much time online and playing video games too, I suppose."

"If it makes you happy, then who is to judge?" Remus asked, giving a small shrug. He looked down into his wineglass. "I don't want to make huge changes to my life, at least not to the extent of suddenly going to clubs or joining a sports team or anything. But lately I have felt more... restless, I suppose. At some point, being alone crosses the line into being lonely, and that isn't a feeling I care for very much."

"No," Severus said softly, shaking his head. He didn't realize he was gazing at Remus with longing in his eyes, was scarcely aware that he was poised to fall - and fall hard. "Books, movies, and video games occupy my time, and they make me content, but they don't make me happy. Sometimes, I'd like to have someone to share them with."

The look in Severus' eyes was one Remus recognized, and he couldn't resist answering it; he didn't even want to try. He put down his plate and his wineglass, moving closer to Severus on the sofa, close enough that he could feel the warmth of Severus' body overlapping his. "So would I," he murmured, reaching out to brush his fingers along Severus' cheek. "Do you think... perhaps... that you'd like to share them with me?"

Severus was surprised when Remus scooted closer, but he didn't draw back, not even when Remus stroked his cheek; Remus' fingers were warm, and Severus couldn't help leaning into the touch slightly, craving the contact. It was unnerving to think of answering the question honestly - a bigger risk than he had ever taken before in his life - but if he did, the reward might be bigger, too. Even if Remus only wanted friendship, that would be more than he had now.

"Yes," he whispered hoarsely. "I would."

Remus smiled, stroking Severus' cheek again. He felt happier than he could remember feeling in a very long time, perhaps ever, and it seemed the time was perfect to finally act on the pent-up longing he'd been suppressing ever since he'd first met Severus.

"Good, so would I," he said, then closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to Severus', giving Severus the chance to draw away if he was moving too fast.

But Severus didn't want to move away. A soft sound almost like a whimper escaped him at the press of Remus' lips against his, and he swayed closer, wanting more. He didn't know what Remus really wanted from him or how long it would last, but he would take what he could get as a respite from the emptiness of his normal life.

The needy sound Severus made called to something within Remus, and he answered it, pulling Severus into his arms and coaxing his lips apart to deepen the kiss. He wanted to ease Severus' loneliness, to show him that they belonged together, that the connection they shared could grow even deeper and stronger. Severus was so warm against him, and Remus ran his hands over Severus' back, urging him closer still.

Slowly, hesitantly, Severus lifted one hand and rested it at Remus' waist as he moved closer at Remus' urging, parting his lips and yielding to the kiss completely; he hadn't been kissed like this in far too long, perhaps ever. He couldn't remember a better kiss, not since that morning, at least, and he wanted it to last.

Remus was in no hurry; they had privacy, and time, and Severus deserved to have time taken over him, to be cherished and shown just how desirable he was. He explored Severus' mouth with slow thoroughness, learning how Severus liked to be kissed, reveling in Severus' taste. His hands found the hem of Severus' sweatshirt, and he pushing them beneath so that he could stroke Severus' warm, bare skin, soft as silk against his palms.

A shiver wracked Severus' thin body, and he found himself arching against Remus' hands, savoring the warmth and pleasure of being touched; his skin was touch-starved, and Remus seemed to know exactly how to stroke him to make him wriggle with sheer hedonistic pleasure.

A growl of satisfaction escaped Remus as Severus pressed against him; he wanted more, wanted to make Severus lose his mind with pleasure. He lifted his mouth away from Severus, but only so that he could trail kisses down to Severus' jaw, then nip down on the soft flesh of Severus' neck.

That coaxed a gasp out of Severus, and he wound his arms around Remus' waist, clinging tightly as he tilted his chin to accommodate the kisses and nips; he liked the feel of Remus' teeth on his skin, the pain giving a tantalizing edge to the pleasure.

Remus bit down harder, sensing Severus' enjoyment of what he was doing. He enjoyed it, too, even more so because he knew that he was making Severus feel good. Soon, however, it wasn't enough, and Remus fisted his hands in the fabric of Severus' sweatshirt, pulling it up. 

"This needs to come off," he said, giving Severus a heated look, letting Severus see the desire in his eyes. "I want to see you, and touch you, and hear you moan."

Severus was amazed to see desire for _him_ in Remus' eyes, so amazed that he forgot to be embarrassed when he stripped off his sweatshirt and tossed it aside. He knew he wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, and normally, he was shy about baring himself to anyone, but the way Remus was looking at him gave him courage to take risks. If Remus really did want to see and touch him, Severus was willing to oblige.

"Is this okay?" he asked, his skin flushed with a combination of arousal and shyness.

"Okay? You're gorgeous," Remus said, leaning forward to give Severus a swift, hard kiss to underscore his words. He ran a hand down Severus' chest, caressing lightly, before circling one of Severus' nipples with his fingers experimentally. "Do you like that? I don't want to do anything you don't like or don't want. Don't hesitate to tell me to stop. I just want to make you feel as good as you make me feel."

Severus shivered, his toes curling, and he nodded. "I like it," he whispered, not trusting his voice at normal levels. "I'll let you know if you do something I don't like, but I've like everything so far. It's... nice being touched. But I'm _not_ gorgeous," he added sternly.

Remus moved his hand, laying a finger across Severus' lips. "You are to me," he said, not about to be swayed from his opinion. "As the beholding eye in question, my opinion is the one that matters, not anyone else's. I know you aren't looking for flattery, and I'm not giving it. I'm just telling the truth."

With that, he lowered his head and began to trail kisses down Severus' neck, while he tweaked Severus' nipple lightly. If Severus wouldn't accept his words, perhaps Remus' actions would have to do the talking.

This time, the shudder that wracked Severus had nothing to do with arousal; it was a pure emotional response to Remus' words, and he flung his arms around Remus' shoulders and clung to him, his breathing growing ragged as he gave himself over to Remus completely. He knew he wasn't gorgeous, and he wouldn't have been susceptible to idle flattery, but hearing that Remus _thought_ he was attractive was new, and he had no defenses against it, not when he had wanted someone to _see_ him, the real him, for so long. Any hope he'd had of keeping his heart safe was shattered, and the contrary organ went straight into Remus' hands. The same hands that were making him moan softly as they teased and stroked him, and he let himself relax in Remus' arms, hiding nothing of his pleasure at the touches.

Severus' responsiveness was more than Remus could have dreamed, his soft sounds of enjoyment inflaming Remus' own desire and spurring him on to coax Severus into making more of them. He mapped a trail down Severus' body, taking his time to explore every inch of Severus' warm skin. It was a pure delight to learn the places where a nip of his teeth would make Severus hiss or how a broad swipe of his tongue would earn an arch of his back. He pressed Severus back on the sofa, wanting to drive Severus mad with need as he continued to stroke and caress and lick until Severus' skin was flushed and damp.

When he reached Severus' navel, he dipped his tongue inside teasingly, then raised his head to look at Severus with eyes gone dark with arousal. "I want you," he said huskily. "I want you more than anything else in the world."

Severus sucked in a sharp breath, stunned by the sight. Remus was aroused because of _him_. Remus found _him_ desirable. He could scarcely believe it was true, but the evidence was right there in Remus' eyes, and in that moment, he was willing to surrender completely, to give Remus whatever he wanted. 

"I want you, too," he whispered, feeling daring enough to reach out and stroke Remus' hair. "Whatever you want from me, you can have it."

Remus leaned into the caress of Severus' hand. "What I want is to make you happy, make you feel desired," he said. Then he smiled wolfishly. "Not here on the couch, though, when there's a big bed right over there where we can both be comfortable." He moved back, but captured Severus' hands as he rose, pulling Severus along with him. "I think we can dispense with the rest of our clothes as well; they'll only be in the way."

Severus clasped Remus' hands tightly as he let himself be guided to the bed. "I'm not exactly... experienced," he admitted, feeling as if he ought to give a full disclosure beforehand to explain why he was likely to be rubbish at this, and the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint Remus.

That caused Remus to pause beside the bed, but only so that he could look into Severus' eyes. "At all?" he asked softly, putting a hand on Severus' cheek. "I don't ask because it means I don't still want you, or because I find it off-putting, but because I want you to be sure you really do want this, that I'm not pushing you into anything you aren't ready for."

"I'm ready!" Severus replied fervently, flushing a little when he realized how eager he must sound. "You aren't pushing me. I really do want this... _you_. I'm not afraid. I just don't want it to be awful for you because I'm no good at it."

"Trust me, it won't be awful, and you'll be fantastic," Remus replied, then leaned forward to kiss Severus tenderly. He was well aware of the honor he was being given; Severus was offering himself and his trust, and Remus was more determined than ever to make things good for Severus in every way.

Pulling back, Remus stripped his tank top off and tossed it aside, then smiled as he hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his sweatpants and boxers, pulling them off and straightening up. He wasn't uncomfortable being nude, and he thought it might help Severus if he bared himself first and let Severus see the evidence of his desire. He put his hands on Severus' waist, pressing his hips forward as his smile became wicked. "Do you see what you do to me?"

Severus _did_ see, but seeing wasn't enough; he was overwhelmed by the desire to touch as well, and he reached out, trailing his fingertips lightly down Remus' chest to his abdomen, marveling at the silken slide of warm skin beneath his hand. "Yes, I see," he murmured. "I like it."

Remus drew in a breath as Severus stroked him, a pleasurable shiver wracking his body at the light caress. "I like it too," he growled. "Let's get you naked and both of us in the bed, and then you can look and touch all you like. We both can, without running the risk of falling over." He slipped his fingers beneath the waistband of Severus' sweatpants. "Is it all right if I take them off of you?"

Severus nodded, his desire for more touching overcoming any embarrassment he felt over baring himself to Remus; he felt absurdly proud over making Remus shiver, and he wanted to see if he could do it again, but being on the bed would probably make all of that much easier. "Go ahead," he said, only a little shyly.

Remus didn't need a second invitation, and he pulled off Severus' sweatpants and underpants in one smooth movement, letting Severus step out of them before rising again. He pulled back the comforter and top sheet on the bed, then grinned as he jumped onto the mattress, holding out his arms. "Come here and let me love you."

Pausing only to strip off his socks, Severus climbed onto the bed and stretched out, moving into Remus' arms willingly. The feel of Remus' warm, bare skin against his was almost like a shock, and he sucked in a startled gasp at the pleasure of it, barely refraining from clinging to Remus and twining around him like ivy just so he could feel _more_.

"You feel good," Remus murmured, thrilling to the slide of Severus' smooth skin against his. He ran his hands over Severus' back to his hips, pulling him in closer, rubbing against him sinuously. "And now I'm going to make you feel wonderful." 

Rolling Severus to his back, Remus began to kiss him again, retracing the path he'd taken down Severus' chest, nibbling and licking and sucking to see if he could make Severus writhe.

Severus' breathing was ragged, and he gasped for air as he arched against Remus' teasing mouth, writhing helpless against the sensual onslaught; thoughts of potential awkwardness and embarrassment fled as his desire escalated, and he didn't think twice about burying his fingers in Remus' hair, urging him on with little whimpers and moans.

"That's it," Remus murmured, pleased with the way Severus responded to him. He continued moving down Severus' body, and this time he didn't stop at Severus' navel. He raised his eyes, holding Severus' gaze as he parted his lips and took Severus' arousal into his mouth.

Severus cried out, overwhelmed by the unexpected intensity of the pleasure Remus offered; he'd fantasized about things like this happening to him, but he'd never expected it to feel like _this_. It was better than winning a competition, better than the best Boston cream pie ever made, better than _everything_ , and he couldn't help rocking his hips just a little, seeking more.

Remus keep his hands on Severus' hips, but to steady him, not to hold him down. He moved his head, keeping the pace slow, not wanting to overwhelm Severus just yet. He brought Severus to the edge but then eased him back, his eyes smiling as he watched Severus' face, judging how he felt. After a few minutes, he eased back, releasing Severus with a little lick. "Do you like that?" he asked softly. "Do you want more?"

" _Yes_." Severus' voice was strangled as he clung to the shreds of his self-control, but he suspected it was a losing battle. "Yes, I want more. I want everything!"

"And you shall have it," Remus said. It was time to give Severus what he wanted - what they both wanted. He reached out to the nightstand, opening the drawer and pulling out a tube of lube that he'd put there when he first arrived for his own solitary use, although he'd not even had a chance to do so. Removing it, he opened the top and squeezed out a generous amount onto his fingers. He settled himself back between Severus' legs, smiling reassuringly. "I don't want to hurt you. I only want for you to feel wonderful."

Severus reached out and stroked Remus' arm reassuringly. "I trust you," he said quietly. He was a little nervous, but only because this was the unknown, and he wasn't sure what to expect; he wasn't at all concerned that Remus would hurt him or use him. "I know you won't hurt me."

Severus' words, the trust that he showed, made Remus feel about ten feet tall. Slowly and carefully, he set about preparing Severus, taking his time to make it pleasurable, watching Severus' every expression for discomfort or any sign that he'd changed his mind or was having second thoughts. It was difficult to hold himself in check, his own need spiraling higher, but he reminded himself that taking care of Severus was the most important thing of all.

"How does that feel?" he asked, caressing his free hand over Severus' abdomen. "All right?"

Severus had no intention of changing his mind; he squirmed pleasurably as Remus prepared him and gripped Remus' arms tightly, urging him on. "I'm fine," he gasped, trying not to whimper and beg for more. "Just keep going!"

Chuckling, Remus moved forward, lifting Severus' hips. "As you wish," he murmured, then leaned down to capture Severus' lips as he eased forward, entering Severus slowly, his arms trembling with the effort to hold back. Severus was tight and hot around him, and it took every bit of Remus' self control to keep from surging forward and burying himself completely.

Severus tensed briefly at the flare of pain the unfamiliar invasion brought with it, but the pain faded, and only the pleasure of connection - of being joined - remained; he'd never felt so close to anyone, literally or figuratively, before in his life, and he wound his arms around Remus' shoulders, clinging tightly to him. "More," he whispered hoarsely, wanting to feel Remus moving inside him, claiming him completely.

The feel of Severus' body welcoming him, and the way Severus asked for more were more than Remus could resist. With a moan, he did as Severus asked, beginning to move, claiming Severus with slow, deep thrusts. It had never been like this before, never felt so right, so perfect. He lifted his head so that he could watch Severus' face, not wanting to miss a single expression, wanting to see the moment when Severus was completely undone.

He moved a hand between them, wrapping his fingers around Severus' arousal as he began to move faster, burying himself completely before pulling back again. "Severus," he murmured, loving the way Severus looked so wanton beneath him. "My Severus... all mine."

Severus' dark eyes widened at that, and he spoke before he could think to censor his response. "Yes, yours." Just saying the words was liberating, even if he belonged to Remus only for this one night, and he let all his fears and armor melt away, let himself get more and more lost in a haze of pleasure with each deep thrust. His body grew more open, pliant, and welcoming even as the pleasure-tension within him tightened to unbearable levels; he wanted to belong to Remus, wanted to give Remus everything, and he surrendered to the moment, crying out as he let himself be swept away.

"Yes, yes!" Remus watched with fierce satisfaction as Severus came undone, overwhelmed by how glorious Severus looked in total abandonment. It was more than he could withstand, and he shouted Severus' name as he, too, shattered, the world narrowing down to the two of them and the intense ecstasy between them.

Breathing hard, Remus collapsed to one side, pulling Severus with him and holding him tightly, stroking his warm, damp skin. Nothing had ever felt so right, so perfect, and he knew that what he felt for Severus was real and lasting, and that he'd found the person to fill the loneliness within him. He nuzzled Severus' temple, feeling sated and fulfilled in a way he'd never felt before.

Severus rolled into the embrace willingly, reluctant to separate just yet, and he wrapped his arms tightly around Remus in return, exhausted and sated in the best possible ways. He'd never felt anything like this before, and even if it never happened again, he would savor the memory of this connection for the rest of his life.

When he finally caught his breath, Remus lifted his head so that he could look down into Severus' face, reveling in the look of slumberous contentment in Severus' dark eyes. He couldn't help the words which rose to his lips, and he wouldn't have stopped them even if he could have. "I love you, Severus... I know we haven't known each other long, but... I can't help it. You have me in any way you want me."

Severus felt his jaw drop at that, and he gaped at Remus, unable to speak until his brain had processed the words into something that made sense. "You love _me_?" he asked, wanting to make sure he had heard and understood correctly.

Remus laughed softly. "Unless there is another Severus in this bed, then yes, I mean you," he replied. Then he sobered, moving a hand to cradle Severus' jaw, looking at him searchingly. "I hope you don't mind, that you don't think I'm trying to rush or pressure you. But I was attracted to you from the first moment I saw you, and getting to know you, to work with you... it just grew. You complete me in a way no one else could. I want to make you as happy as you've made me."

"I don't mind." Severus gazed at Remus somberly, leaning into the touch. "I was attracted to you right away, too, and..." He lowered his gaze briefly, his cheeks growing flushed. "I'm very happy when I'm with you."

"I'm glad." Remus leaned down to kiss Severus, slow and deep, then rested his forehead against Severus'. "I feel like I've already won the biggest prize in the world. Thank you for trusting me, for giving me a chance. I know how hard it must have been for you, and I'm going to do everything I can to deserve you."

"I'm not sure how great a prize I am, but you have me if you want me," Severus replied, tightening his arms around Remus. "I do trust you, and I want to give this - us - a chance."

"I definitely want you," Remus replied, nuzzling his nose against Severus' affectionately. "I want to have a chance with you, in whatever way makes you happy. We'll have to talk about what we want to do, but I don't think there's anything we can't work out. So long as I'm with you I know I'll be happy."

Severus nodded, unable to voice the sentiment aloud, but agreeing with Remus wholeheartedly nonetheless. He couldn't remember ever feeling so light - so happy - before in his life; Remus loved him, Remus wanted him, Remus wanted to build a life together with him. It was like a dream come true, and Severus was ready and willing to commit himself to it - to Remus - completely.

"Let's get through the competition first," he said, nestling closer. "Then we'll talk about our options."

Remus chuckled, holding Severus close and tight. "All right, love," he said, sighing happily. "So long as you stay in this bed, I can't deny you anything. Even serving you dinner in bed, if your more mundane appetites happen to surface again."

"I'm not going anywhere," Severus said firmly, giving Remus a squeeze, just because he knew he could now. "Especially not if Lupin is on the menu."

"Lupin is on the menu any time you want it," Remus promised, lowering a hand to grope Severus shamelessly. "Lupin in the bed, Lupin on the floor, Lupin in the bath... I think you'll find that I'm a very versatile ingredient with a variety of uses. Your biggest challenge will be picking a favorite."

"That may take a very long time." Severus gazed at Remus somberly. "I want to make an informed decision." He hesitated, then decided to take a chance and gave Remus a hesitant little grope in return. "This is one dish I want to keep all to myself."

Remus wriggled against Severus' hand happily. "I'm all yours, I promise. Lupin serves only one." He grew more serious. "You have me for as long as you want me, Severus. I'm not fickle, and casual sex never really held much appeal for me. I want this to last, and I want you to always know you can come to me if anything I do makes you unhappy."

"I will," Severus replied, nodding. "I know relationships need work and compromise, but I'm not willing to make myself unhappy just to have someone. I'm not fickle or casual in either sex or affection, either."

"It sounds like we're in accord on this, as we've been on everything else," Remus said, smiling fondly at Severus. Then he gave a gusty sigh. "Are we in accord about a bit of rest before we decide what appetites to slake next?"

"I believe we are." Severus yawned and settled in comfortably, feeling safe and peaceful in Remus' arms. "Rest now. Lupin later."

"Lupin is yours, always," Remus murmured. He buried his nose in the side of Severus neck, and surrounded by his beloved scent, he drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"You're late! Where have you been?"

Hermione was almost in a panic by the time Remus stepped into his assigned kitchen, but he grinned unrepentantly, far too happy to care much about the competition. After the previous night with Severus - and this morning, when they'd made love in the shower - all Remus wanted was for the contest to be over so that he and Severus could talk about what the future held for them. He was certain it must hold something good, since Severus had kissed him backstage, telling him it was "for luck". As far as Remus was concerned, he'd already won the grand prize.

But he owed it to both the show and to Hermione to give his best effort, so he checked all of the preparations before stepping to the area in front of his kitchen, preparing for the announcement of what the final challenge would be. He caught Severus' eye and gave him a slow, heated smile, wishing that they had time for another kiss before things got started.

Severus offered a small, sidelong smile in return, even as he felt his face grow flushed, not with awkward embarrassment, but with pleasure at the look Remus was giving him. He knew he was probably rushing into this whatever-it-was, and the sensible thing to do was to slow down and proceed carefully, but he didn't want to slow down; with Remus, he felt attractive, desirable, and even happy for the first time in his life, and he didn't want to give that up.

He listened with half an ear as Regulus explained that they would be making a special birthday cake for the final challenge. The truth was, he wanted the challenge to be over and done with, and he didn't even care who won; what he really wanted to do was figure out what was going to happen next for himself and Remus and determine whether there was any sort of future for them. But as he listened, a thought occurred to him - a thought about what he could do with the money if he won - and that galvanized him into paying closer attention to Regulus' explanation and instructions.

"This will be a twenty-four hour challenge," Regulus was saying. "At the end, you'll deliver your cake to the birthday party, and the winner will be determined there, based on which cake the recipients select. You'll have fifteen minutes to consult with your clients and thirty minutes to work on your cake design, and then you'll immediately leave the studio to gather your supplies for your cake."

 _Twenty four hours?_ Remus wanted to groan in frustration, not happy that the competition wasn't a standard eight hour one. Another whole day before he could be with Severus again? It was torture, pure and simple.

But there was no way around it, and he gave Severus a rueful, longing glance before accepting the notepad Hermione thrust into his hands, listening with half an ear to her ideas about what they should do. 

Soon it was his turn to meet with the clients - a set of twins, a boy and a girl, who were celebrating their sixteenth birthday. Remus winced as the two of them expressed completely opposite desires for their joint cake. The brother was a very masculine boy, into sports and cars, while the sister was feminine, gushing about pink and purple. Remus knew he'd have a challenge on his hands to come up with a design in only thirty minutes, but he returned to Hermione and pulled her into a quick conference, knowing that he had to do his best.

Severus conducted the interview with the twins himself, despite the looks they gave him and the barely repressed snickers when they heard his voice; they were teenagers, and he was not, and the only thing on his mind was finding out what he needed to know so he could design and create the winning cake. He knew he could beat Tonks, but beating Remus would be tougher; he was determined to do so, however. Not because he wanted to prove anything or beat Remus for the sake of beating him. No, he had A Plan, and it hinged on his victory in this final challenge, which motivated him to pull out all the stops.

He wrote copious notes about what the twins liked and disliked, trying to get a sense of their personalities and interests, and he used the full fifteen minutes. Only when Regulus called time did Severus close his notebook and grab Draco, already turning over design ideas in his mind. When his thirty minutes were up, he felt like he had a solid grasp on what he wanted to do; the question was whether he would be able to do it. It was going to be a structural challenge, but he was willing to take risks in order to get what he wanted.

As he and Draco exited the studio, he glanced around to see if he could spot Remus before they went their separate ways for a whirlwind shopping spree.

Remus saw Severus looking in his direction, and he quickly excused himself from Hermione. The cameras were focusing on the judges and the twins at the moment, and he took the opportunity to motion toward the curtains at the back of the stage, then slipping behind them and waiting for Severus to join him.

Despite the fact that they were on a deadline, Severus didn't hesitate to hurry over when Remus beckoned to him. "How are you doing?" he asked, wishing more than ever that the last challenge wasn't such a long one now that he was close to Remus once more.

"All right - although I'll be much better once this competition is over and you're all mine again," Remus said softly. He looked about, and certain that they were alone, he stepped closer to Severus, enjoying the chance to be near him, even for a short time. "How about you?"

"Ready for this to be over," Severus replied, shifting closer to Remus in return. He wasn't a risk-taker or demonstrative when it came to his emotions, but Remus claimed to love him and said Severus was his, and that gave Severus the courage to reach out and clasp Remus' hand, heedless of who might see the gesture. "I want to be yours again."

Remus couldn't help but smile at that, and he held Severus' hand tightly. He wasn't at all ashamed of anyone knowing about their relationship, but he'd prefer that it wait until after the contest was over, so that there wouldn't be any claims of collusion or something to tarnish the program. "You shall be, and I'll be yours," he said. Then he decided that the contest could be hanged, and he reached up, curling his free hand around Severus' neck and pulling him down for a brief, hard kiss. He pulled back with a small nip of Severus' lower lip, yearning for more but knowing he'd have to wait. "Good luck, love... and know that I'm thinking of you every moment."

The kiss and the endearment warmed Severus to the core, and he nodded and offered a small, pleased smile. "Good luck," he murmured. "I'll be thinking of you, too."

Sighing with regret, Remus stepped back. "I suppose we'd better get started, then - but I swear, I've never less wanted to bake a cake, nor has twenty four hours ever seemed like such a long time." He gave a chuckle as Hermione called out his name, obviously wondering where he'd gotten to. "Duty calls, I'm afraid. Let's get this over with so we can get started on what's really important, shall we?"

Severus nodded vehemently. He'd never faced a longer twenty-four hours before either, but with any luck, everything would fall into place for him at the end of it. "I'll see you later," he said as he turned and walked away, reluctantly returning to Draco, who was practically dancing in place with eagerness to be gone.

Remus watched Severus go, then sighed again and made his way back to Hermione. Since there was no help for the time he had to spend away from Severus, he knew he'd better put his nose to the grindstone and do his best so that the time would pass as quickly as possible.

Hermione had no hesitation about throwing herself into the project, and they left the studio in one of the limos with her chattering away a mile a minute and giving instructions to their driver about where to go and in what order. Remus began to dictate notes which she typed into her laptop, and after a shopping trip which passed in a blur, they were back in the studio with a plethora of bags and boxes, and Hermione was throwing herself into the preparations with single-minded determination.

While Hermione baked layers, Remus began to roll out fondant, cutting shapes and sculpting figures to adorn the various layers. He'd decided that he would do two intertwining cakes that wrapped about each other like a DNA helix, one in bold, primary colors that the brother seemed to prefer, the other in pinks and purples for the sister. He had to be very careful with the colors to make sure that, though different, they meshed well and were complimentary to each other rather than jarring. 

Hours sped by as he worked, and it was only when he stood up suddenly and swayed on his feet that he glanced at the clock and realized that he'd not eaten since the dinner he and Severus had abandoned in favor of each other the previous night. "A short break, I think," he said, tapping Hermione on the shoulder and motioning sternly toward the back stage area. "We need food." He glanced at Severus, hoping that he'd taken care of himself - otherwise Remus was going to haul him off bodily and the consequences be damned.

Severus had immersed himself in his work once the onerous shopping trip was over; he had lost all track of time once he and Draco had returned to the studio and he'd gotten to his kitchen to begin baking and decorating. After thinking over what he'd learned from the twins, he had decided to take a risk and construct the most challenging cake he'd ever attempted to make. The foundation would be a car - something the twins fervently hoped they would receive for their birthday - with various items that reflected their individual interests stacked in the open trunk. The colors would be varied, alternating to make certain the tastes of both twins would be represented.

It wasn't until Draco tugged his sleeve and pointed out what time it was that he realized his stomach was growling, his meager breakfast of a candy bar from the vending machine Draco bought him while he showered that morning long gone.

"You need to take a break and get something to eat," Draco said, pushing him toward the backstage area. "For that matter, so do I."

Severus nodded and let himself be steered away, hoping a jolt of food and caffeine would give him a much-needed energy boost.

Remus smiled as he saw Draco hustling Severus off, and he moved to follow Hermione. There was a catering area set up backstage, and he eagerly reached for a bowl of a hearty beef stew that a server handed him. 

"Thanks," he said, picking up a spoon and downing several bites with appetite. He waited until he saw that Severus had gotten something, then walked over toward him.

"I suppose we both needed to recoup our strength, especially after last night. And this morning," he murmured in a low voice, his blue eyes filled with wicked promise. "Things going all right?"

Severus felt heat sting his cheeks as memories of their recent vigorous activities flooded his mind, and he glanced sidelong at Remus, wishing he could do more than just look. "So far, so good," he said as he drank his soda, relishing the hit of caffeine. "How about you?"

"I'd rather be covering _you_ in fondant... then licking it off," Remus said with a long-suffering sigh. "But I suppose I'll just have to continue with cake for now." 

Severus glanced away and tried not to squirm visibly. "Admit it: this is all part of your nefarious scheme to distract me so you'll win," he countered tartly. "Unfortunately, it's working."

Remus chuckled softly. "Trust me, I'm distracting myself even more than I'm distracting you," he said. He glanced over at Tonks, who was looking between the two of them with a frown. "Fortunately I think Dora's distracted, too, trying to figure out what's going on. Good thing, or else she might beat us both, eh?"

"Never," Severus replied with firm conviction. "We're both too good, even when distracted. She might as well resign herself to third place - and to never standing a chance with you," he added, shooting her a dire warning glare.

Dora flushed and looked away, obviously flustered by Severus' look, and Remus felt a combination of pity for her and smug satisfaction at Severus' possessiveness. He didn't mind one bit if Severus wanted to stake a public claim on him; he was wholly owned by Severus, body and soul, and he welcomed any way Severus wished to make it known. "No one stands a chance with me but you," he replied, laying a warm hand on Severus' shoulder. "Don't ever doubt that."

Severus turned his attention back to Remus, both warmed and flustered by Remus' assurances. Things had happened so quickly that he could scarcely believe this was all real and that Remus really did care about him, but somehow, he felt safe in taking this risk, crazy at it seemed. "I feel like I've fallen down the rabbit hole," he admitted, "but somehow, I believe you."

"Perhaps you _have_ fallen down the rabbit hole, but if so, then we fell together," Remus said, giving Severus' shoulder a squeeze. "Only a few more hours and this will all be over." He looked down at his bowl of stew and shook his head. "Ah, well. I suppose I should get back to it. Even if there are things I'd much rather be doing."

Severus nodded and took a step back, knowing if he remained in close proximity, he risked forgetting the competition entirely. "Same here, but..." He hesitated before voicing his next thoughts, hoping he wasn't presuming too much despite how much Remus seemed to imply permanency. "It's less than a day, and then we have all the time after that to enjoy."

"And I plan to enjoy it very, very much - and to see that you do, too," Remus replied. He caught the hesitation, and he hoped that Severus wasn't feeling that Remus was going to rush off after the competition or something. "We have all the time in the world, you're right. I'm afraid I'm just impatient to get started." He dropped his voice. "I told you that you have me, Severus, and I meant it. Not just for a night, or a week, but for as long as you want. I haven't changed my mind... and I hope you haven't, either."

"No." Severus shook his head in a vehement denial. "I haven't changed my mind, not at all, and I don't have any doubts. We'll talk when this is over, but for now, we both need to create brilliant cakes. Don't waste any time wondering if I'll be here when it's over."

"All right," Remus said, beaming at Severus happily. "Two brilliant cakes on order, and after that... we can do what we really want to do." Hermione was motioning for him, and Remus shook his head ruefully. "I swear, after this I don't want to bake a cake for at least a week! Maybe two."

"Me either," Severus replied, although he suspected his lack of desire to bake would stem less from burn out and more from a desire to focus on the bedroom rather than the kitchen. "Good luck," he added before Draco came to drag him away, polishing off the last bites of his meal and the last dregs of his soda before returning to his station.

Again Remus submerged himself in his cake, and he lost track of time as he became absorbed in the details. He sculpted a series of plump pink hearts to adorn the sister's side of the cake, and in a fit of whimsy, he inscribed a tiny one with "RL & SS". It was silly and juvenile, but by sometime around dawn, he was feeling rather light headed with exhaustion anyway, so he had a legitimate excuse for his excessive amusement with his little secret.

At last the twenty-four hour period ground to a halt. Remus had sent Hermione backstage to get some sleep a bit after midnight, then had grabbed a regrettably Severus-less hour himself when she returned. But he was still feeling tired, rumpled, and decidedly sticky when Regulus called a halt, but he couldn't help looking toward Severus and grinning widely, overwhelmingly pleased that it would soon be over and they could finally get back to the hotel and into a big, comfortable bed - even if they would probably just want to sleep for about a day before getting to anything more satisfying.

Severus was exhausted after a marathon of cake decoration unlike anything he'd experienced before. His only consolation was that Draco looked about as tired and grungy as he felt himself, which was an unusual look for his fastidious assistant. The other two chefs and their assistants looked wiped as well, and he imagined all any of them wanted to do was crawl back to the hotel and sleep.

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. They all still had to transport their cakes to the birthday party, which meant part of the challenge would be to make sure their cakes arrived in one piece. Severus was fairly certain he would make it through the remainder of the competition due to the amount of adrenaline pumping through his system as he tried to keep his cake intact. The cake was tall and asymmetrical, and while he had tried to give it as sturdy a foundation structure as possible, anything could happen, especially if they hit a pothole.

Still, even if the worst happened, he was proudest of this cake, and he considered it his personal best, not only within the competition, but in general. He had stretched himself to create an unusual design, something Draco had called "almost Seuss-ian" with its layers balanced with seeming precariousness as they rose out of the trunk of the car made of cake. Each layer represented something one of the twins liked, from travel to cheer-leading, and he'd incorporated the colors they liked on their particular layers, so he thought he had a fair shot at pleasing both of them.

"Congratulations, contestants!" Regulus beamed at them, having the audacity to look well-rested and cheerful. "You're almost at the finish line. Outside the studios, three vans wait to take you, your assistant, and your cake to your clients. We'll also have extra people available if you need help loading and unloading your cake. Once all the cakes are at the party and successfully unloaded, the twins will decide which one they like best and want to serve at the party, and that chef will be the winner of our Takes the Cake challenge. So let's get going!"

Remus seriously contemplated throwing the remnants of a bowl of buttercream all over Regulus' impeccably pressed suit, but he resisted when Hermione shook her head, apparently reading his mind. He sighed and nodded, then gave Severus a longing look before motioning for some of the helpers who were standing by to assist in moving his cake. As tired as he and Hermione were, he didn't trust himself not to drop the damned thing on the way to the van, and frankly, he wouldn't mind if he did; he'd get to a bed that much sooner if he didn't have to go to the judging.

But he knew it was fatigue and lack of Severus that were making him cranky, so he straightened his spine and set about supervising the move. He would have preferred to ride with Severus, but the crew was quite firm about herding him and Hermione into the van with their own cake, and so he resigned himself to having to endure yet more separation.

Severus spared a quick look at Remus, but only that; he was still in competition mode, and he was still driven to win, which meant he was wholly focused on the task at hand. Draco requested extra help in moving the cake from the studio to the van, and after a couple of heart-stopping wobbles, it was safely ensconced in the back of the van. Severus climbed into the back with it while Draco sat up front, and once they were underway, he felt his heart fly into his throat with every jostle and bump. The ride seemed interminable, and he wasn't sure which would occur first: the cake toppling or him keeling over from the strain of worrying about the cake toppling. By the time the van finally stopped and the back doors opened, Severus felt as if he'd had ten years shaved off his life.

The party was being held at a reception hall; there were balloons and streamers around the entrance, and it appeared that many of the guests had come outside to catch a first glimpse of the cakes. Tonks delivered hers inside first, and Severus could hear cheers and applause when she and her helpers entered, and he gave a quiet, annoyed grunt. They hadn't seen anything yet!

Remus was relieved when they arrive at the party intact; his cake, by design, was fairly stable, but there was no accounting for the vagaries of fate. He supervised the off-loading, then turned to glance at Severus' cake, getting a really good look at it for the first time. It was quite spectacular, and he smiled, proud of Severus' accomplishment, which he thought was far better than his own.

Even so, he was being motioned to bring his cake inside, and so he did, rather pleased with the oohs his spiral creation got from the assembled guests. The twins were waiting within, and he was glad to see that his own cake was better than Tonks' and he rather thought the smile of the twins indicated they thought so, too. Then he turned, wanting to see when Severus walked in.

When the tech crew let him know it was his turn to unload his cake, Severus felt a rare attack of nerves, enough to make his hands shake as he reached out to help remove the cake from the back of the van. So much was riding on this competition, more than he'd bargained for when he began it, and he had to take deep, steadying breaths to ground himself as they carried the cake inside.

As soon as they walked in and the gathered guests got a good look at it, the applause was thunderous, much to Severus' gratification. The cake was deposited safely on the judging table next to the other two, and while he thought he had definitely bested Tonks in terms of quality and execution, the final choice belonged with the twins. He hoped the fact that they seemed to think he was odd didn't factor into their decision about which cake they liked best. But it was out of his hands now, and all he could do was move out of the way and await the verdict.

Remus moved to stand next to Severus, as close as he dared given the large crowd around them and the lights and cameras. Regulus escorted the twins to each of the cakes, and they pointed out the things they liked and didn't like about each one. Then the twins went off to consult with each other, a whispered conference as they decided which of the cakes they would choose.

"If they're smart, they'll take yours," Remus murmured, giving Severus a sidelong smile. "It's fantastic! It's the best one I think I've ever seen."

Severus gave him a brief look of pleasure and gratitude at the compliment, but he said nothing, not wanting to jinx himself. He thought it was his personal best, but that didn't mean it would pass muster with the twins and the judges.

After what seemed an interminable discussion, the twins nodded to one another, then motioned Regulus to come over. 

"It looks like they've decided," Remus said. "Good luck!"

"Good luck," Severus replied, keeping his voice quiet. His stomach churned as he watched the group confer, and finally, Regulus returned to the chefs with the twins and the judges close behind.

"Before the winner is announced, let me say that I'm quite pleased with the quality of work displayed for this challenge," McGonagall said, nodding her approval. "It appears the three of you rose to the occasion and gave us your best work. Congratulations to all of you."

"Yes, believe me, the twins had a difficult decision to make," Regulus said, smiling at the three of them. "But as much as they might have wanted to accept all three, they did have to decide on only one." He gestured for the twins to step forward. "Go ahead! Let us know which cake you'd like to serve at your birthday party."

The sister, smiling, stepped forward and pointed at Severus' cake. "They're all lovely, but this one... it's _us_. Not just him and me, but the two of us, and so it's the winner!"

Remus grinned widely, as pleased about Severus winning as he could have possibly have been if it had been himself. He began to clap, and everyone else joined in, cheering Severus' victory.

It took a moment for Severus to process that he had been named the winner, and Regulus was already looping a gold medal around his neck as Kingsley offered an over-sized check before he fully grasped what had happened. He had _won_ , but the medal and the title didn't matter to him. All that mattered was getting all this fanfare over with so he could be alone with Remus at last.

Still in a daze, he shook hands with Regulus, the judges, the assistants, and even Tonks, and then he found himself face-to-face with Remus. "Your cake was brilliant," he said, holding out his hand. "I hope you aren't disappointed."

Remus took Severus' hand, grasping it far more firmly than a friendly handshake as he leaned forward, dropping his voice to a tone only Severus could hear. "Far from it, you deserved to win," he said, then gave a wicked chuckle. "And when we get back to the hotel, perhaps I can give you a reward that will be harder than that medal and make you scream louder than any check."

Heat flooded Severus' face at that, but he squeezed Remus' hand tightly and nodded. "I'd like that," he murmured, relieved that Remus wasn't upset or jealous. The last thing he wanted was for the competition to come between them.

Returning the pressure, Remus stepped back before he could be overcome by his desire to pull Severus into his arms and kiss him senseless. "Congratulations - the best man definitely won," he said, smiling widely as the cameras were still on them. Then he stepped back so that Severus could continue to receive the well wishes and congratulations from the crowd of people who were waiting to have their moment to be next to fame. He accepted the admiring comments from people who also liked his cake, but this was Severus' moment, and he was quite content to wait, to offer his silent support until Severus was ready to go.

Severus endured a round of publicity photographs with the cake and the twins, and he was too preoccupied with thoughts of Remus to protest when asked to answer questions, participating in the interview himself instead of fobbing it off on Draco. The chefs were asked to stay for the party, and while that was the last thing he wanted to do, he didn't feel like he had grounds to depart early when his was the winning cake. After it was cut and served, however, he went to speak to his liaison, Pansy, to see if she could arrange an escape, pleading fatigue after the harrowing competition.

Pansy returned with Regulus in a matter of minutes, and after congratulating him again, Regulus assured him that he and the other chefs were free to go, and there were limos waiting to take them back to the hotel. Relieved, Severus went in search of Remus, eager to depart as soon as possible.

Remus was waiting, having found a quiet place to sit, a kind waiter bringing him a cup of coffee to help keep him at some semblance of alertness. He noticed when Regulus and Severus spoke, and when Severus moved away, Remus took the opportunity to go meet him.

"Have they cut you loose at last?" he asked hopefully, running a hand over his stubbled chin. "Not that you don't deserve your time to shine, love, but I was beginning to wonder if they were going to spirit you off and I'd never see you again!"

"Not a chance," Severus replied firmly, eager to be alone, if only so he could nuzzle Remus' jaw and enjoy the raspy pleasure of beard stubble. "We're free to go. There are cars waiting, and apparently, we get another night at the hotel. It's the least they could do, I suppose, since they ran us ragged for this last challenge."

"The very least," Remus agreed. Now that the competition was over, he thought it safe enough to let things go public, although he wasn't sure what Severus thought. So he smiled and looped an arm around Severus' shoulders, a gesture that could be seen as companionable to anyone watching, although to him, the warmth of the contact was far more than simply friendly. "Let's go, then. I feel like I could sleep for a week, although I don't really want it to be more than a few hours; I have other, far more nefarious plans for your body once we're both energetic enough to act upon them."

The casual touch surprised Severus, but it pleased him, too; he wasn't accustomed to being the recipient of such intimacy, not with his aloof demeanor keeping other people's hands off rather effectively. He liked the weight of Remus' arm around him, and so he didn't protest the gesture, simply accepted it as they headed for the exit at last. Although there were three cars waiting outside, they shared one for the return to the hotel, leaving the second car for their assistants' use, and when they finally reached the hotel, Severus waited until they were out of the car and making their way to the lobby to ask, "Your room or mine?"

"How about mine? Simply because it's closer to the elevator and we'll have a shorter distance to walk," Remus said, giving Severus a fond if tired smile. "Although if you have a preference for yours, that's fine by me. So long as there is a shower, a bed, and you, everything else is irrelevant." Now that they were almost alone, he risked sliding his arm around Severus' waist as they headed toward the elevators. "If we need to stop at mine to get the lube, that would only take a moment."

"I have a better idea," Severus replied, wrapping his arm around Remus in return. "I'll go to my room, pack, and check out, and then I can stay with you until we decide to leave." He realized he was assuming Remus would want that much proximity, and he hastily added, "If you don't mind, that is."

Remus' eyes widened, but it was only in surprise, and he grinned, incredibly pleased with the idea. "Mind? Of course I don't mind. That's a brilliant idea! In fact... I'll leave a message with Hermione that I'm taking the next couple of days off. I'd cleared my calendar for just over week for this, and there are still a few days left before I have anything to worry about." Remus paused, smiling at Severus and hoping that he wasn't about to send him running for the hills. "We can stay here, if you'd like, or if you have a day or two... maybe you could come home with me?"

At first, Severus was simply relieved that he hadn't overstepped, but when he realized that not only did Remus not mind the idea of sharing a room overnight, but that he was also extending an invitation to stay for a few days, Severus was amazed as well. "I'd like that," he said, the words tumbling out before he could think twice about it. "I'll tell Draco my plans, and he can return without me. I've been away this long. The bakery can survive a few days longer without me."

"Good!" Remus was overjoyed that Severus was willing to go along with his impulsive idea, and he tightened his arm as they stepped into the elevator. When the doors closed behind them, Remus used the brief bit of privacy to turn and pull Severus into his arms, kissing him soundly on the lips. "I never did get to congratulate you properly," he said, his eyes warm. "You definitely deserved that win, and I couldn't be happier about the outcome."

Warmed by the kiss, Severus wound both arms around Remus in return and smiled slightly. "Thank you," he murmured. "I'm happy about it too, although not for the usual reasons. I have plans for the prize money." He took a deep breath, deciding now was as good a time as any to divulge his plans to Remus. "Plans that involve you, I hope. If you aren't too tired to talk about it, I'll tell you once I pack up and get to your room."

"Oh?" Remus was wildly curious about what Severus had in mind, but he reined in the questions which rose to his lips, settling for nuzzling his nose against Severus'. "I _was_ tired, but now I'm interested to hear what you're thinking. Anything that involves the two of us is good with me!" The elevator slid to a stop, and Remus stole another swift kiss, then pulled back so that they could exit the elevator. "I'll call room service and get us something to eat and drink, just to keep our strength up. Call me if you want any help with packing, all right?"

"I didn't bring much," Severus replied. "It shouldn't take long, and I'll hurry. Order something caffeinated, all right?" He hesitated, then decided to be daring and bent to kiss Remus briefly before hurrying off to his room, his face flooded with heat at his own bold move.

"All right!" Remus grinned at Severus' retreating back, pleased that Severus had initiated a kiss. He moved to his own room, opening the door and then hurrying to call and place an order, splurging on coffee and tea and soda, in addition to two steak dinners with all the trimmings. Then he called Hermione's cell phone and gave her the next few days off, if she wanted, and praised her efforts in the contest. By the time he was finished with answering all her questions and reassuring her that he wasn't upset about not winning, nor did he think that she had any part in his defeat, room service had arrived, and Remus admitted them, signing the check and then shooing the server from the room. He took a swift shower, put on sweatpants and a tank top, then he poured himself a cold soda and sat on the sofa to await Severus' arrival.

Severus paused long enough to call Draco and let him know what was going on; he could hear Draco's smirk even over the phone, but Draco wished him good luck and told him not to worry about hurrying home. After settling things with Draco, Severus took the quickest shower of his life and changed clothes before cramming his belongings into his luggage. Once he was packed, he checked out of his room and hurried to Remus' room, a little apprehensive about how Remus would react to his plan, but mostly eager to spend time with Remus at last. Placing his suitcases on the floor beside him, he knocked and waited for Remus to answer.

At the rap on the door, Remus jumped up, unable to do anything about the wide smile on his face, and yanked the door open. "There you are!" he said, pulling Severus inside the room and pointing to the cart of food and drinks. "Go make whatever caffeine you want, and I'll haul your suitcases." He reached down, grasping the luggage and hauling it into the room, before putting the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door, closing and locking it with finality.

He prowled toward Severus, wrapping his arms around him from behind, wanting all the contact he could get. "I ordered us steaks, if you're hungry. Or hungry for food, that is."

Severus leaned back against Remus as he poured himself a soda, enjoying the contact as well. "We can eat while we talk. Then we'll be fully fueled for... whatever might happen later."

"An excellent plan," Remus replied. He ran his hands over Severus' chest, then down to his abdomen, then lower, teasing Severus for a moment before stepping back. "Have a seat on the sofa, and I'll serve us. Feel free to take off your shoes... and anything else you happen to want to remove." 

The teasing made Severus shiver pleasurably, and he moved away with reluctance to take a seat on the sofa, slipping off his shoes and socks and tucking his feet beneath him, curling up like a graceful cat as he sipped his soda and waited for Remus to join him.

"So... I have a plan," he said slowly, watching Remus closely as he spoke. "That's why I wanted to win so badly. For the first time, I didn't care about being the best or gaining any sort of validation, and I didn't feel like I had anything to prove. I wanted the money so I could invest in the future."

Remus admired the sight of Severus lounging elegantly, his eyes particularly drawn to Severus' slender feet before he tucked them beneath him. Then he proceeded to uncover their plates, retrieving silverware and napkins and placing them on the sofa table within easy reach. "That sounds like a good plan," he said, settling down on the sofa by Severus and smiling encouragingly at him. "You could do a lot with that amount of money, even start your own bakery if you wanted."

Severus distracted himself with a few bites of steak and baked potato, the scent of the food reminding his stomach of how little he'd eaten since the last challenge began. "I don't want to start my own bakery," he said, glancing sidelong at Remus. "I was thinking about using the money to make a bigger change than that." He breathed deeply and braced himself to jump into the deep end. "I want to move. I want to go to culinary school. There's a good one near you, right? I thought... Well, I have a healthy nest egg, too. After I pay for tuition and all the moving expenses, I thought maybe... if you were willing... I could invest in your bakery. For expansion and renovation. I thought maybe I could work for you."

"What?" Remus blinked, stopping with a bite of steak halfway to his mouth, startled at Severus' unexpected suggestion. But it pleased him, too, the thought of Severus actually living with him, being a part of his life every day. He'd thought that they might have to work out a compromise about how to continue their relationship, but it seemed that Severus was ready to jump in with both feet, and for his part, Remus was overjoyed.

But he had to make sure that Severus was doing the right thing for himself, too. Putting down his plate and fork, Remus reached out to brush his fingers against Severus' cheek, looking at him searchingly. "First, let me saying that _nothing_ could make me happier than the thought of being with you every day. I have no reservations about us or about doing anything at all that you're comfortable with, either in business or more. But I want you to make sure this is what _you_ really want. I'm yours, Severus, and you don't have to uproot your life unless that's what you really want to do. I'm willing to make sacrifices, too; you don't have to leave everything behind just to be with me. "

"I don't have a life," Severus replied, gazing back at Remus earnestly. "I don't have friends or lovers to leave behind, and I can go back to visit my family whenever I want. I'm not so attached to where I am now that I can't leave it without a qualm, especially not when leaving means I can fulfill more than one dream. I don't feel like I'm making any sacrifices, only gaining the things I've wanted for years."

Remus kept looking into Severus' eyes, but he saw no hesitation, no doubts; he smiled, reassured that Severus had thought this through and really did want it. "Well, then, if you're certain, I'm not going to stop you. But... well, I do have one stipulation, and I'm afraid it's not negotiable. You're not going to work for me; if you're doing this, you're going to be my partner. In fact... I'd like for you to be my partner in every sense of the word. I love you, Severus, and I want to share my life with you. All of it. I never want you to doubt your place with me or feel as though there is any part of my life that you don't share."

For a moment, Severus was too stunned to respond. He would have been happy if Remus had agreed to hire him and allowed him to contribute to pay for any renovations that having an extra pastry chef would require; the thought of Remus asking him to be a partner - an equal - in the business had never occurred to him, and the offer of partnership outside of work was icing on the proverbial cake. Perhaps he was moving too quickly and making rash decisions, but nothing had ever felt so right or fallen into place so perfectly for him before, and for the first time, he didn't doubt himself or his decisions. He had never been good with words, and he doubted he could find the proper way to express what he meant aloud, thus instead of speaking, he captured Remus' face between his hands and kissed Remus fervently, hoping he would understand it meant 'yes'.

Remus did understand, and he gave a soft growl of satisfaction as he wound his arms around Severus and pulled him closer, not hesitating to deepen the kiss. He realized that things were happening very quickly, but for all that he wasn't a man given to rash impulses, and he'd not made the offer lightly. Severus had given him something precious, and he knew without any internal doubts that what was between them was real and lasting. He'd never had a serious relationship before, never invited someone to not only live with him but to become a part of his business, and yet he had no qualms about having done so now. It felt as though something that was missing from his life had clicked into place at last.

When he pulled back from the kiss, he chuckled softly, happiness and lack of sleep threatening to make him giddy. "So we have a deal. One home, one bed, and a bakery built for two?"

Severus nodded, not trusting his voice, and nuzzled Remus' stubbled cheeks contentedly. After years of solitude and loneliness, he'd found someone to share his life and his passions - all of them - with, and he had never been more happy or more content than he was at this moment. His need for food forgotten, he wrapped his arms around Remus' shoulders and all but crawled into Remus' lap in an effort to get as close as possible, and he kissed Remus again, feeling confident of his new-found right to kiss Remus as often as he liked.

Remus wasn't hungry for food, either, and he kissed Severus back hungrily, parting Severus' lips so that he could explore and give back to Severus some measure of the joy he felt. He pushed his hands beneath Severus' shirt, stroking the skin of his back, relishing the slide of warm, soft skin against his hands. This was what he had wanted and needed for a long time, and he devoured Severus' mouth like a starving man, wanting more.

Severus didn't hold back his enthusiastic moans, safe in the comforting knowledge that Remus wouldn't mock him for it; he was, he realized, starting to lose the shyness that had held him back for so long, emboldened by the certainty that Remus found him interesting, attractive, and desirable. For the first time, he felt desired and loved, and it made him want to give Remus anything and everything. Tightening his arms around Remus, he surrendered his mouth, reveling in Remus' blatant need - for _him!_ \- and wanting to offer utter fulfillment.

"Bed," he murmured when Remus drew back at last. " _Please_."

Remus stroked Severus' cheek tenderly. "If that's what you wish, that's what you shall have," he said, taking Severus' hands and pulling him to his feet as he rose. He tugged Severus toward the bed, then paused beside it to tug off Severus' shirt and dispose of his trousers. It took only a moment to rid himself of his own clothing, and then he crawled into the bed, pulling Severus into his arms and giving him a smile full of wicked promise.

Running a hand down Severus' body, Remus admired the sight of him, Severus' pale skin becoming flushed with desire, dark hair, and the long, lean, elegant length of Severus' legs. He wrapped a hand around Severus' arousal, stroking him slowly and teasingly. "So, is this what you want?" he asked, leaning close to Severus' ear, his voice husky with a growling undercurrent. "I'll do anything you'd like, anything at all."

"Yes, I want you to touch me," Severus replied breathlessly, shuddering with pleasure at the feel of Remus' languorous stroking. He wanted to give Remus pleasure in return, to give back a little of the joy Remus had given to him, and so he made what was, for him, a daring move and curling his fingers around Remus' hard length in return, matching Remus' rhythm. "I want to touch you, too," he said, watching Remus' face avidly. "I want to watch you."

Remus drew in a breath as Severus stroked him, feeling his entire body flushing as his arousal spiraled higher. He knew that Severus was being quite bold, and the thought that Severus was that comfortable with him was just as wonderful as the caress itself. "Touch anything and everything you like," he rasped, holding himself back from thrusting his hips by sheer force of will. Continuing the movement of his own hand, he trailed a series of nipping kisses along Severus' jaw to his ear, then down his neck, seeking out what spots would make Severus moan.

Severus discovered his neck was quite sensitive, since almost every little nip and lick made him gasp and moan. "Feels good. All of it," he murmured, meaning the kisses, the touch of Remus' hand, and the feel of Remus' arousal. He didn't bother trying to squelch the urge to rock his hips, seeking more pleasure, and he quickened the rhythm of his own strokes, wanting to drive Remus crazy, wanting to watch him fall apart.

Since Severus expressed approval of what he was doing, Remus continued, biting down a bit harder on the spot just over Severus' pulse point before letting his head fall back on the pillow. He sped up the motion of his hand, and he gave in to the need to move as well, thrusting against Severus' hand and moaning at the wonderful sensation of Severus stroking him, of the feel of Severus' own arousal in his hand.

"Yes... that feels so good," he moaned, his breath coming in short pants as he felt himself drawing closer to the edge. It was too much, too intense, and he couldn't hold back. Crying out Severus' name, he shattered, his back arching as he was overwhelmed with sensation.

Severus drew back just enough to let him see Remus' face, watching avidly; he couldn't remember any sight that gave him as much pleasure and satisfaction as that of Remus in the throes of ecstasy, knowing that Remus was so overwhelmed because of _him_. But his own pleasure was spiraling higher, threatening to spin out of control, and he surrendered to it, letting the sight and feel of Remus' pleasure carry him away. He cried out Remus' name and clung to him tightly, holding nothing back.

Overwhelmed by happiness and contentment, Remus watched Severus, his breath taken away by the way Severus gave himself over completely. For a man who was so reserved on the outside, Severus had a beautifully sensual streak, one that Remus looked forward to indulging and exploring again and again.

"My Severus," he murmured, nuzzling Severus' cheek, then kissing him tenderly. "All mine."

Severus hummed quietly with sated contentment as he returned the nuzzling and nestled closer. "All yours," he agreed. He pillowed his head on Remus' shoulder, lost in thought for a moment. "I never thought it was possible to fall in love - _really_ in love, not just fleeting lust or infatuation - so quickly, but I'm beginning to change my mind."

Remus' heartbeat sped up at that, and he felt as though the greatest gift in the world had just been handed to him. "It can happen, believe me," he said, his tone conveying his complete certainty in his words. "You stole my heart and took my breath away from the very start. I can't wait to start on our forever."

Severus smiled slightly and burrowed closer, holding onto Remus tightly. "I can't either." He paused, then admitted bashfully, "I always thought you were attractive when I watched you compete on the show, but I thought you were even better looking in person. I liked you right away, too, because you didn't ask about my voice or look at me like I'm odd or stuck up. You treated me like I'm normal."

"You _are_ normal!" Remus pushed a lock of hair back behind Severus' ear. "You are intelligent and witty and a talented chef... and a wonderful lover. Don't ever let anyone feel like you aren't the fantastic person you happen to be. You deserve to walk with your head held high and be proud of yourself and your accomplishments; in fact, I think you're so much better than simply normal. You're unique, and you're mine; that makes you the most special person in the world."

Amazingly enough, Severus was starting to _feel_ special, which was a novel experience. He was feeling braver and more sure of himself, at least with Remus, and he liked it. He liked how he felt when he was with Remus, and he liked Remus. No... he loved Remus. It was quick and crazy and perhaps even rash, but he didn't care. He knew the truth of his own heart, and his heart was in Remus' possession.

"You're special, too," he murmured, nuzzling Remus' throat. "And I love you."

Remus looked into Severus' eyes; he didn't know how it was possible for him to feel any happier than he'd felt before, but Severus had managed to find a way. To hear the words from Severus' lips was a gift beyond price, and he pulled Severus closer, kissing him fiercely, wanting to taste the words he had spoken, to seal them between them forever.

Severus tightened his arms around Remus and pressed as close as he could, surrendering completely to the fierce possessiveness of the kiss. He _did_ belong to Remus - heart, body, and soul - and he was no longer afraid of making a mistake or being hurt. He knew this was right and good, and he had no qualms about letting himself love Remus. "Yours," he murmured against Remus' lips. "Always."

"And I'm yours. Forever," Remus replied huskily, holding Severus as though he would never let him go. He was warm and sated on every possible level, and he couldn't remember a better feeling anytime in his life. "When we decide to leave here, I'll take you to see your new home. I only have an apartment now, but maybe we should get a house. A place where we both make a new start on a life together."

"All right, but I draw the line at white picket fences," Severus replied tartly, even as he settled into Remus' embrace, comfortable and relaxed. "There's only so much normality I can stand. I do like the idea of finding a house together, though," he added, wanting to make sure Remus didn't get the wrong idea. "One with an enormous kitchen with plenty of cabinet space to hold all our equipment. If you've got as much at home as I do, we'll need all the space we can get. I wonder if we could find one with a built-in brick oven," he mused, his dark eyes alight at the mere thought.

Remus laughed and gave Severus a squeeze. "If there isn't one, then we can always have one added to the right place," he replied. "And yes, I have a great deal of equipment, so a big kitchen either already in place or able to be added is a must. Perhaps even one with two islands; that way we'll both have plenty of space to work." It was fun to contemplate the things they could do with their own place, and Remus couldn't imagine anything better than living with Severus in a house of their own, cooking together, enjoying the simple things that came from having a partner with whom you were so perfectly in tune that silences often communicated just as much as words. They were both excellent chefs, after all, but more importantly they were in love, and not all the heat in between them would be happening in the kitchen. They would build such a home, together, and like the finest cakes, every detail would be sweetly satisfying for the rest of their lives.


End file.
